Dallas police chief outlines crime plan for World Cup
Dallas Police Chief David Comeaux said violent crime in the city is down as the region prepares to host nine World Cup matches, as well as the FIFA International Broadcast Center for thousands of journalists from around the world.
DALLAS – Dallas Police Chief David Comeaux said violent crime in the city is down as the region prepares to host nine World Cup matches, as well as the FIFA International Broadcast Center for thousands of journalists from around the world.
The chief has also been working on initiatives to help improve safety in Downtown Dallas.
Downtown Dallas Crime 
Dallas wants to be a winner when it comes to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The game plan includes sprucing up downtown with murals and covering it with cameras. But perhaps the most significant addition to downtown is more police officers.
“We’re starting a new division, the Central Division, to focus on downtown,” Chief Comeaux said.
The chief believes the city will be ready, citing a drop in murders and traffic fatalities compared with this time a year ago.
“We are 39 murders down from where we were last year. Traffic enforcement is working. We have 40 less fatalities. Put that together. We have 79 fewer families grieving right now,” he said.
Comeaux also revealed that DPD is considering using drones to respond to low-priority calls like loud music or an argument on a street corner. But he admitted that a lot of people still want to see physical officers respond to situations.
Downtown Dallas Traffic Enforcement
Many people have already experienced the increased police presence downtown when it comes to traffic enforcement.
Chief Comeaux said he realized traffic was a priority after he was almost hit by a car while walking.
“The light changed, and I was walking doing something I should – texting,” he said. “I almost got hit by a car and thought, ‘Everyone in Dallas is telling the truth. We need traffic enforcement downtown.'”
DPD has written 15,000 tickets downtown since the initiative began.
“We were excited to see that until some of our employees got pulled over, and it wasn’t so fun,” said Jennifer Scripps, the President and CEO of Downtown Dallas Inc.
World Cup Team Security
Comeaux also revealed how Dallas will work to keep the peace between rival World Cup teams.
He explained that when teams are picked in December, each country will have a fan leader who will visit Dallas ahead of time to make plans for hotels and restaurants.
“Some countries just don’t like each other, and they are so passionate. Like, if they see another country’s shirt, it’s an automatic fist fight. It’s just a fist fight. So, we’re going to try to do our part to kind of talk to this top fan and steer them, you go on this side of Dallas and you go on this side of Dallas, so you just don’t fight when you see each other,” he said.
Scripps said that Downtown Dallas Inc. also has plans for crowd control and six regions or base camps for countries.
The Source: The information in this story comes from a State of Downtown Dallas event held by Downtown Dallas, Inc. and Dallas Police Chief David Comeaux.
Downtown DallasCrime and Public SafetyFIFA World CupDallas Police Department