Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson Announces Mayor’s Task Force on Safe Communities

DALLAS, TEXAS – Mayor Eric Johnson on Monday announced he has created a new task force – his first since taking office nine weeks ago — aimed at curbing violence in communities throughout the city.

The Mayor’s Task Force on Safe Communities will gather community input and build consensus around data-driven solutions that can stop and prevent violent crime in Dallas without exclusive reliance on law enforcement action.

“I believe in the Dallas Police Department,” Mayor Johnson said in his remarks at a press conference Monday. “And I believe that the Dallas Police Department’s focus on guns, gangs, and drugs is both smart and necessary to help reduce violent crime in our city.

“But we can’t ask or expect law enforcement to do it all. To paraphrase one of our former police chiefs, we already ask cops to do too much. Police have to be social workers. They have to deal with mental health and drug addiction and cycles of abuse. And we’ve asked law enforcement to do all of these things in an environment where illegal guns are far too easy for criminals to obtain.”

The task force’s goal is to develop recommendations and report back to the mayor before the end of the year.

To lead the task force, the mayor selected three co-chairs: Pastor Michael Bowie, senior pastor at St. Luke Community United Methodist Church; Rene Martinez, a longtime educator and community activist; and Alan Cohen, president & CEO of the Child Poverty Action Lab. The mayor will announce the task force’s other members soon.

“I’m grateful to all three of these dedicated community leaders for their service,” Mayor Johnson said.

The co-chairs have released the following statements about Mayor Johnson tapping them to lead the task force:

“Ending this scourge of violence will start with taking steps in our own communities and being willing to carry each other’s burdens. The work ahead will be challenging, but I am confident the collective wisdom and spirit of this task force will serve this city well.” – Pastor Michael Bowie

“I have seen over many years the ups and downs of crime in Dallas over many decades. I have always tried to be part of the solution. In my lifetime of community public service and leadership, I have learned how much we can accomplish when we unite around a cause. So I’m honored that the mayor has asked me to once again serve my community by helping make Dallas a safer place to live in.” – Rene Martinez

“I am honored that Mayor Johnson has asked me to co-chair this Task Force. To achieve lasting impact on issues as complex as crime and public safety, I believe strongly in taking an inclusive approach that combines the use of data-driven insights with the lived-experience of community members. So I look forward to hearing from citizens and stakeholders seeking actionable solutions to improve safety for all Dallas residents.” – Alan Cohen