Looking Ahead, Dallas Launches Domestic Violence Dashboard

On Tuesday, a man killed his ex-wife and then himself at the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office. Unfortunately, this kind of tragedy is all too common. There have been at least 12 intimate partner murders this year in Dallas. Last year there were 15.

Domestic violence persists throughout Dallas, usually behind closed doors. It is a societal scourge that can remain hidden because victims often suffer in private. But thanks to Dallas City Hall and victims’ rights advocates, policymakers and others can now easily see just how widespread domestic violence is in the city through an online dashboard that launched this year.

Dallas Police data is updated daily on the dashboard. Different filters can isolate data based on council district, police division or postcode, while other dashboard features break down statistics by gender, race and age.

So far in 2022, police have recorded more than 13,000 domestic violence crimes, including 1,690 aggravated assaults. In these cases, the assailant used a weapon or seriously injured the victim, such as breaking bones or causing them to pass out.

Nearly 60% of victims are people in their twenties and thirties. The majority are women and more than half of them are black. This is consistent with national government statistics that show black women experience higher rates of domestic violence than women in other demographic groups.

Yet the dashboard also challenges assumptions that victims of domestic violence are almost always women or girls. According to Dallas data, 27% of the city’s victims are male.

Jennifer Staubach Gates, chair of the Dallas Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Advisory Council and former city council member, said the dashboard can show council members where they should focus outreach services in their communities. districts.

“What we were highlighting in the dashboard is information that can be used as policy,” Gates told us.

The dashboard shows the areas most affected by domestic violence are the southern council districts, but every part of Dallas is affected.

This online tool also documents prosecution and refuge statistics. Genesis Women’s Shelter and The Family Place, two of the largest domestic violence shelters in Dallas, are helping compile the data with Dallas Police and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.

“Our elected officials need to realize how dangerous this is and hopefully advocate for tougher domestic violence laws,” said Jan Langbein, executive director of Genesis.

The city’s commitment to sharing this data is forward-thinking and can lead to meaningful answers. Advocates noted that policing alone will not end domestic violence; communities also need education and awareness.

Additionally, the data will help shelters raise the funds they need to save families from abusers.

Family Place CEO Mimi Sterling told us the dashboard helps the nonprofit “share with the community the importance of providing lifesaving emergency shelter and the continued need for services for victims of domestic violence”.

We know the Dashboard will not prevent domestic violence from happening. But he keeps the attention on this issue and signals the attackers that Dallas is watching.

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. Consult the instructions and drop your letter here.