By Monty Bennett

Dallas is at a crucial tipping point. It has started down the same path as other once-great American cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Today, we must declare war on crime and City Hall mismanagement to protect and improve our quality of life and our city’s economic viability.

On the November election ballot, three proposed charter amendments (S, T, & U) will allow you to decide if the city of Dallas should be required to hire more police officers with better pay and to make city management more accountable. Despite the City Council’s attempts to thwart these amendments and make allegations that Dallas Police Chief Eddie García is leaving Dallas because of them, which he dispelled, they are on the ballot because 169,000-plus Dallas residents like you signed petitions.

Crime is at the root of all evil in Dallas. For years, Chief García has pleaded for more officers. Recently, city staff projected a net gain of only 44 more officers this year. If you’ve suffered a violent crime, burglary, shoplifting in your store, vagrants camping in your neighborhood, or rowdy overnight parking lot parties, I’m sure you agree 44 officers is not enough – especially when we’re promised 250 more every year.

The police department strives to retain and recruit officers, but with one hand tied behind its back. To recruit officers, we must offer competitive pay. To retain them, we must have a viable pension system. But instead of bringing solutions, city leaders wasted years bickering. Perhaps this is why Chief García, among the best chiefs in the nation, is headed to Austin.

Chief García’s leadership has lowered violent crime, but not downtown as pointed out by this newspaper. Violent crime remains a big problem and non-violent crime is out of control.

• Chief Garcia recently said he needs at least 600 officers, but the city’s hiring goal of at least 250 more officers for at least the last three budgets fell short each time.
• The amendment does not require the city to hire and train 900 officers instantly. The amendment doesn’t require that.
• Everyday crime is up across the board – we need more patrol officers to reduce crime, improve response times, and investigate crimes such as burglaries and vehicle theft.
• According to the city’s 2024 citizen survey, 52% of residents ranked crime as a major problem, and 62% said police service was fair or poor.
• Last year, the police response policy was revised due to lack of officers and to focus resources on violent crime. Citizens must now file most incidents online into what many feel is a black hole.

Crime and poor management at City Hall are also very bad for business. Council members are foolish if they think Dallas’s problems don’t matter to people in other cities. Every day, thousands of people commute to Dallas for work and entertainment. Every day, corporate leaders and small business owners make decisions whether to relocate to Dallas, renew office leases, or close a store due to rising crime and vagrants camping on their doorsteps. I enjoyed living in Dallas for many years, but recently moved because of crime and homelessness problems; however, my company, our employees, and several hotel assets are here.

When crime increases, residents and businesses leave the city to live and do business elsewhere, taking tax revenue with them. We must reverse this trend.

The Dallas City Council and city management don’t want you to vote for these Dallas HERO amendments, but they exist because they didn’t get the job done. They would be wise to stop fearmongering and listen to residents and business owners, like you, who think 44 officers a year isn’t going to put a dent in crime and to manage the city much better.

Dallas HERO needs your support and your vote. Together, we will take back our city and chart a better course for the future.

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Monty Bennett is a notable figure in the hospitality industry, serving as the Chairman and CEO of the Ashford Group of Companies. Bennett is also a prominent Dallas business leader and philanthropist.