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Dallas Police Department sees post-COVID increase in domestic abuse

Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse hosts "Home Safe Home"

There's been an increase in domestic abuse.

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The coronavirus pandemic is having a negative impact on Dallas residents both on where they live and how they are treating others.

Here's what you need to know about evictions and mental health:

Evictions officially OK
As of May 18, landlords can now begin proceedings to evict their tenants.

The Texas Supreme Court — the same Abbott-appointed crew who released defiant Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther from jail — suspended a statewide moratorium on evictions, which had been in effect since March.

During the moratorium, landlords could still submit filings, and those have piled up: According to CBS, DFW landlords have filed more than a thousand eviction petitions since March. Landlords and housing advocates are predicting an avalanche of eviction cases to be filed as a result of the pandemic.

As usual, it's Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins to the rescue. "Although Texas is allowing eviction cases to proceed tomorrow, the Dallas County JPs have agreed with me today to provide residents here additional time," Jenkins says.

Eviction cases filed after March 10, the date of the first Covid19 case, will not be set for a hearing date before June 15 in Dallas County.

Domestic abuse
According to a release from the Dallas Police Department, they're seeing an increase in domestic violence. The stats are as follows:

February: 918 cases reported
March: 1,169 cases reported
April: 1,202 cases reported

Lieutenant Pollyanna Ashford says that the abuse can be from myriad reasons, be it the shelter-in-place and/or unemployment, all as a result of the coronavirus.

The DPD suggests having a packed bag ready to go, and calling 911. They also offer a list of shelters including Brighter Tomorrows 972-262-8383, Genesis 214-942-2998, Mosaic 214-823-4434, New Beginnings 972-276-0057, Salvation Army 214-424-7208, and The Family Place 214-941-1991.

Color chart
Dallas County introduced a color-coded chart to help clarify safe activities during the pandemic.

The chart has four color zones — red, orange, yellow, and green — with each color indicating level of risk on activities such as dining out and attending concerts. Red is the highest risk, obviously.

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Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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