City News Roundup

Dallas creates new police committee to reduce violent crime

The new office will be led by David Pughes.

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The city of Dallas has created a new office within the Dallas Police Department to help reduce crime.

Called the Office of Integrated Public Safety Solutions (OIPSS), it will work with various city departments and outside agencies to mitigate circumstances that promote, encourage, or contribute to violent criminal activity within identified high risk areas of the city, says a release.

The goal of the OIPSS is to not only reduce crime, but also improve quality of life and create a sense of order.

OIPSS will be led by David Pughes, currently serving as Executive Assistant Chief of Police. Pughes is a 29-year veteran of DPD and previously served as the Interim Chief of Police in Dallas from October 2016 to September 2017.

Pughes will oversee the efforts in a new position called the Integrated Public Safety Solutions Officer. His appointment is effective April 29.

"This new office will support our police department's efforts with essential crime reduction strategies," says Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax. "This is a critical step as we work to move forward as a safer city for all residents."

The office will support the Dallas Police Department through in-depth crime analysis and Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM).

RTM uses Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to explore the relationship between crime and the spatial features that influence and encourage criminal activity.

OIPSS will conduct field assessments in high-risk areas to develop strategic intervention. This may include:

Law Enforcement
Administrative Inspections and Enforcement
Infrastructure Enhancement or Repair
Evaluation of current zoning, permits or business licenses
Programming

The success of OIPSS will be conveyed through progress tracking tools and dashboards.

"Truly this is an exciting time for our former Executive Assistant Chief of Police, David Pughes, who is embarking on a new journey within the City of Dallas," says Dallas Chief of Police Reneé Hall, in a statement. "I am grateful for his decades of service to the Dallas Police Department and I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue working with him in a pivotal role as we make Dallas one of the safest cities in America."

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Turkey Day news

Dallas eats up top-5 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Photo courtesy of Razzoo's

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Dallas is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

Dallas ranked No. 5 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12. The city made a huge leap over its 2023 ranking as No. 17, and remains the highest-ranking Texas city.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The category that Dallas ranked the highest in was the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 2), and the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 9), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 82). Other categories that determined Dallas' overall ranking were affordability (No. 60), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 26).

Dallas restaurants are getting prepared for their big Turkey Day feasts, and CultureMap has rounded up a thorough list of all of the local restaurants hosting holiday feasts, from brunch to dinner.

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, Dallas will be fully decked for the December holidays. Dallasites who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. Dallas-Fort Worth goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Across North Texas, three Dallas-area cities also made big improvements from their 2023 rankings. Irving moved up 10 spots to claim No. 19 this year, and Garland jumped up 21 spots on the list as No. 34. Arlington made the biggest improvement in the region, moving from No. 78 last year to No. 55 this year.

Meanwhile, Plano and Fort Worth slipped in the rankings, falling into No. 44 and No. 45 in 2024, respectively. Plano previously ranked No. 38 in 2023, and Fort Worth was No. 36.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

dallas fort worth thanksgiving wallethub rankings