Recently a controversial Dallas P.D. memo was leaked telling officers to ignore certain kinds of emergency calls. Dallas council members have since pressed the interim police chief on the issue according to a Fox 4 article published January 12th. In it they say:
“Dallas council members pushed Dallas police leaders to reveal who leaked an unauthorized memo that directed 911 dispatchers to change how they handle lower priority calls. It was the first time Interim Dallas Police Chief Lonzo Anderson has responded to the memo publicly. But when pressed, he would not reveal who sent out the directive to staff without the proper vetting.”
Now, it looks like the controversial call diversion plan is still on the table for the Dallas P.D. and they are seriously considering implementing it according to an NBC 5 DFW article published on January 11th. In it they say:
“Dallas police intend to pursue a call diversion policy that would no longer routinely send officers in person to take reports on certain property crimes. Officers would still be sent on those calls if there is distress or citizens are unable to file reports online. The change was mentioned in a controversial memo that surfaced around New Year’s Day and received extensive attention on social media and news coverage.”
Though with all the backlash from both Dallas leadership and citizenry, and given how quickly the memo was rescinded, it looks like the Dallas P.D. may be rethinking their planned call diversion policy.
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