Council repeals language on Dallas Police staffing minimums

The Dallas City Council voted 8-2 to repeal language from a 1988 ordinance that spelled out a goal of maintaining three police officers for every 1000 citizens

The Dallas City Council voted Wednesday to repeal a portion of a 1988 ordinance that provided the language used by a group in a police-centered charter amendment that Dallas voters narrowly approved last week.

The 8-2 vote repeals language from the ordinance that spelled out a city manager goal to have three police officers for every 1000 citizens.

Five city council members did not vote.  Mayor Eric Johnson and District 2 Councilmember Jesse Moreno voted against repealing the language.

The language was included as part of the ordinance that started the Citizens Police Review Board. That board was ended when the city created the Community Police Oversight Board in 2019.

The vote was held after a motion was made to approve without any public discussion. The council had just emerged from an approximately two-and-a-half hour executive session where the council sought the advice of the city attorney on “legal issues related to the November 5, 2024, election and propositions.”

Pete Marocco, who heads up the group Dallas Hero that successfully campaigned for voter passage of Proposition S and Proposition U, spoke against the repeal of the language during public comment.

After the vote, he said the city council still isn’t listening to voters.

“The people have spoken and the city council just needs to take that on,” Marocco said. “We don't always get our way and they (council) just need to take on the people's will and not fight it and get into this vindictive spiteful mode.”

District 6 councilmember Omar Narvaez said the vote was one of many the council would take to remove outdated language from previous ordinances.

“This council has been adamantly focused on public safety,” Narvaez said. “We heard our voters loud and clear and we’re going to get to work and do everything in our power to be in compliance and the things we need to do.”

Proposition S allows voters to sue members of the city and requires the city to waive its governmental immunity.  Dallas is the only major city with this stipulation now part of its governing document.

Dallas voters also overwhelmingly approved Proposition R, the decriminalization of possession of marijuana under four ounces.

It prohibits Dallas Police from using the smell of weed as probable cause to search or seize items or make an arrest or citation for pot if a felony isn’t involved.

Attorney General Ken Paxton has already sued other cities, like Austin and Denton, for passing similar pot measures since the substance is still illegal on a state and federal level.

The city will have to navigate how to proceed with implementing the pot amendment because failing to do so could also make the city subject to being sued for failing to follow its own city charter, which is now inclusive of the language approved by voters in Proposition R.