Introduction The Dallas Police Department had a closed door meeting tonight with community leaders and I was fortunate to be able to attend. It was great to be able to talk to the police one on one in an intimate setting and be able to get updates and candid responses. I’m going to outline some of the things we learned and some other things I think we as a community must do. What Police Are Doing Police ARE stepping up patrols in the area. They have deployed many more officers including undercover officers, dedicated patrols, and other personnel especially during the key timeframes when those patrols are most necessary. Some feel the police don’t care about us, seemingly downplaying the attacks by labeling them as robberies and not using the term hate crime. Due to recent and historical events many in our community do not trust the police. I want to personally say that I spoke with many of the leaders of the police in our area today and the truth is that they do care – they all care. They are all real people just like you and I with families and jobs and LGBT friends. Some of them are gay themselves. One of the reasons we may perceive them as not being empathetic as an organization is how the media has used only soundbites of longer conversations in their coverage of the issues. Another reason is that they label these as “Aggravated Robbery” as opposed to something like “Attempted Murder” because in actuality aggravated robbery has a higher impact and can mean more trouble for the criminals when someone was not killed. They also know that gays are being targeted. It is an obvious aspect of this situation whether it is mentioned officially or not. To label a crime as a hate crime you have to prove that if a straight person were in the same situation it would not occur to them. There are hoops that have to be jumped through that honestly would not really change the response. Don’t Be Afraid to Contact Police If you find yourself the victim of a crime you MUST call the police (911). It is important to remember that the police can only investigate what they know with what they are told. The police are here to help you and by not reporting a crime you are actually increasing the chance for repeat offenses to occur. They do not care if you are sober when the offense occurs or if something was or was not stolen. They care about catching the criminals. The police need tips. Do not be afraid to call in a tip (911) even if you are intoxicated. I cannot stress this enough. If you see anything amiss or perceive that something is off report it. The police will look into the tip and determine if it is helpful or not but that is not your job. You aren’t a trained investigator - they are. Their goal is to find these criminals and put them behind bars – NOT here to give public intoxications, tickets, or other offenses. Another way to submit a tip is to download the iWatch app on the app store and use that to submit tips anonymously. How to Increase Your Safety There are many things you can do yourself to increase your safety while walking around the community. • Stay alert and vigilant. • Keep pepper spray and/or an emergency whistle on your person. • Avoid carrying large amounts of cash or valuables. • Try not to walk in dark or shaded areas where criminals could hide. • Walk in groups when possible. • Walk as a group to one car and drive to other cars when parked separately. • Use Uber, Lyft, or Taxi instead of walking alone at night. • Report any lights that are out. Try downloading the 311 app on the app store to report outages. What You Can Do to Help A question I get all the time and that came up often in the meeting was how can we all as citizens help. Aside from taking actions to keep yourself safe, you could also consider joining the City of Dallas’ Volunteers In Patrol (VIP) program. This is a 4 hour course taught by DPD and usually offered on weekends which trains you how to patrol the neighborhood effectively and safely. Remember that bringing guns into bars is illegal and that attempting to bait attackers to try to attack them is a dangerous tactic even the police do not engage in. Donate your time and money to organizations that promote our safety or respond to the needs of victims. A prime example of this is the Survivors Offering Support (S.O.S.) organization which gives emotional and monetary support to victims of crimes. Keep the Awareness Alive. Things like this are cyclical. Once the attackers are caught avoid being complacent and make sure to always fight for police presence and safety. Attend community crime watch meetings and engage with organizations which promote a safer neighborhood. Thank Those Who Have Helped Something we often forget to do is thank the city leaders, businesses, and organizations who have contributed to the cause. It is very important that we as citizens form alliances and common ground with these people so that we can all work together for a safer Oak Lawn. I would like to give a special thanks to District 2 Councilman Adam Medrano who has been an important part of getting increased patrols, police cameras, increased lighting, community outreach, walking the streets with us, and many other things. Also, thanks are in order for District 14 Councilman Philip Kingston for also calling for increased patrols and for moving up to $600k to an Oak Lawn improvement project which will add safety elements to our area. Thanks Mayor Mike Rawlings for talking with us privately and then coming out to the strip to our restaurants and bars and for doing your part in pressuring for increased safety. Thank you Caven Enterprises, Alexandres, Kroger, and other businesses which have added new lights and other private security measures outside their buildings. A big thank you to the many media outlets who have been helping to keep the public aware of the crime and to the many organizations like the Resource Center, DFW Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and S.O.S. who have donated or made efforts to promote safety or help victims. There are many other people and entities that deserve to be in this list and many more to come as we continue to push for improvements. The fight is not over, there is still a lot of work to do.