At a Glance
- Violent crime in Dallas has fallen for five straight years, down 12% year-over-year
- More than 750 celebratory-gunfire calls flooded Dallas Police on New Year’s Eve alone
- City council wants new tactics beyond drones and tech to curb random shootings
- Why it matters: Stray bullets have maimed and killed residents, and leaders say “normalized” gunfire puts every neighborhood at risk
Dallas is riding a five-year wave of declining violence, yet the crack of celebratory bullets still sends residents diving for cover. City leaders, tired of replaying the same New Year’s Eve soundtrack, have ordered the Dallas Police Department to return with fresh plans to silence random gunfire.
Crime Down, Gunfire Up
Dallas Police told News Of Fort Worth that violent crime has dropped 12 percent, extending a half-decade downward trend. The department now fields 3,286 officers-the most since 2016-and aims to add 350 more by September. Hiring during the last quarter of 2025 surged more than 50 percent over the same stretch in 2024.
But the statistics provide little comfort when bullets descend from the sky. On New Year’s Eve, dispatchers logged more than 750 calls reporting celebratory gunfire across the city.
Council: “Not Good Enough”
District 12 representative Cara Mendelsohn said the department must move past resignation. “We can’t just say well, it’s New Year’s Eve, it’s going to happen, like that’s not really good enough,” Mendelsohn told Ryan J. Thompson.
District 5 councilmember Jaime Resendez warned that accepting the barrage invites tragedy. “The hard truth is that when random gunfire becomes normalized, it’s only a matter of time someone is seriously injured or killed,” Resendez said.
District 4’s Maxie Johnson pressed Chief Daniel Comeaux for concrete help. “That’s what I’m asking for, can y’all help me with that?” Johnson said.
Comeaux promised precinct-level cooperation. “Look, everyone is important, and we will work directly with you to make sure everyone in D4 is safe and crime is gone down in D4 and it’s going to continue to go down because everyone is important in Dallas,” the chief replied.
Beyond Drones: New Tactics Sought
Department leaders tout new technology-especially drones-as the next force multiplier. Yet councilmembers want complementary, low-tech deterrents.
Ideas floated during the session included:
- Neighborhood signage warning that random gunfire is a crime
- Church partnerships to keep parking-lot lights on during holidays
- Installing temporary fencing to block celebratory shooters
- Having neighborhood patrol officers meet with faith leaders ahead of major holidays
“An NPO could go out and talk to a church and say hey on these holidays, we need to leave lights on, we may need to have a fence to establish something that would blunt that kind of behavior in the first place,” District 13 representative Gay Donnell Willis said.
Mendelsohn pressed for stronger enforcement as well as education. “We’ve got to figure out some way to reduce the gunfire and increase the enforcement,” she said.
Chief’s Warning
Comeaux ended the discussion with a blunt message for anyone planning to celebrate with gunfire: “Random gunfire is a crime, and if we catch you shooting just randomly, we will put you in jail.”
The department has now been formally tasked with developing a comprehensive strategy that pairs technology, community outreach, and targeted enforcement before the next holiday brings another hail of bullets.
Key Takeaways
- Dallas has logged five consecutive years of falling violent crime, including a 12% drop this year
- Despite the decline, New Year’s Eve produced more than 750 calls about celebratory gunfire
- The city council wants new solutions beyond the department’s planned drone expansion
- Chief Comeaux pledged that officers will jail anyone caught firing randomly
