Warrant roundups are an everyday part of good policing, but we nevertheless congratulate new Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux on getting off to a strong start in ensuring that some of the worst of the worst in Dallas found themselves in the back of a squad car this May.
The chief’s announcement of 98 arrests during 30 days of what he dubbed Operation Justice Trail is welcome and will make Dallas safer if the rest of the justice system follows through in ing the dangerous and difficult work of our officers.
Everyone in police work knows that communities and neighborhoods are often victimized by a handful of antisocial criminals who cycle in and out of prison and jail.
Cops know who the bad guys are on their beats. When they complain, it’s frequently about having to pick up the same people repeatedly, only to see them out and up to no good before you know it.
The rogues’ gallery of repeat offenders that the Dallas Police Fugitive Unit and U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force arrested last month is an indication of how tough it can be to keep people locked up even when they have devoted themselves to lives of crime.
One guy is charged with tampering with a corpse. He has seven prior arrests for crimes including sex offenses, assault and theft. Another man arrested for home invasion and sexual assault has seven priors, including indecent exposure, assault and family violence. We could go on.
We haven’t sorted through the why and how of each case, but suffice to say it is often predictable who will continue to reoffend upon release from prison.
Yes, we need to be sensitive to the possibility of, and the opportunity for, personal redemption. But we also need a criminal justice system that is attuned to reality and to the danger communities and law enforcement are put in when repeat violent offenders are put back on the streets.
Comeaux told us he is satisfied that the crime plan DPD has in place has been effective in lowering violent crime, and he’s right. But he also said he wants people to not only be safer but to feel safer.
Part of that is focusing on ensuring violent offenders stay behind bars, and Comeaux will need all the help he can get from prosecutors and the courts.
Another part is ensuring that a sense of order prevails throughout the city, from red-light runners to aggressive panhandlers to repeat felons.
The city is safer when police are active in communities, and we are glad that DPD’s new chief wants to highlight the activity. A safe city is a prosperous city, and we urge the chief on in his work.
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