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Traffic flows westbound on Interstate 30 near North Hampton Road in Dallas, Sunday, April 19, 2026. Dallas police say the department is set to patrol all freeways in the city as the department expands its traffic unit.<\/p>\n
Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Drivers pulled over on many of Dallas\u2019 major highways may soon see a different badge at their window.<\/p>\n
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Dallas police are preparing to take over traffic enforcement and crash investigations on freeways long patrolled by Dallas County sheriff\u2019s deputies or state troopers. The department expanded its traffic unit<\/a> this month to cover every freeway within the city, including roads operated by the North Texas Tollway Authority.<\/p>\n The shift comes as two patrol deals end days apart. The county\u2019s arrangement with the city to patrol certain Dallas highways ends Friday, while the Texas Department of Public Safety\u2019s agreement to patrol\u00a0NTTA roads expires Monday.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The changes will give Dallas police a larger role on the city\u2019s highways after years of relying largely on other agencies.<\/p>\n Dallas officers have already begun patrolling highways previously handled by sheriff\u2019s deputies and will begin covering NTTA roads within the city next week, department spokesperson Allison Hudson said Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cBy increasing the capacity of our Traffic Unit, we can provide specialized response on our freeways and tollways while reducing the need to pull patrol officers away from neighborhoods and emergency calls for service,\u201d Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said in a news release announcing the change.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: DPS cites statewide demands in decision to end NTTA tollway patrol agreement<\/a><\/p>\n The traffic unit expansion comes as Dallas police work to reduce their response times, a persistent concern for the department. Although average response times have fallen so far this fiscal year, they still exceed an hour for every category except the most serious calls.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Department officials don\u2019t expect the change to affect 911 response times because the expanded traffic unit \u2014 rather than patrol officers primarily tasked with answering calls \u2014 would handle freeway calls.\u00a0<\/p>\n The department will monitor call volume, staffing and response times and make changes as needed, Hudson said.<\/p>\n Traffic moves on a toll road. Dallas police will take over patrols on North Texas Tollway Authority roads within the city as a the highway system’s agreement with the Department of Public Safety expires.<\/p>\n Tom Fox\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n City-county agreement<\/p>\n Dallas County Commissioner Andrew Sommerman said the traffic patrol arrangement no longer made financial sense for the county. He recommended against a new agreement unless Dallas adequately compensated the county for the work.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe were supplementing the city of Dallas\u2019 budget by significant amounts,\u201d Sommerman said, \u201cand we couldn\u2019t do it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Hudson said Dallas police began planning the expansion earlier this year and that it was not prompted solely by the county\u2019s decision to end the arrangement.<\/p>\n Sheriff\u2019s deputies assumed primary responsibility for patrolling freeways in southern Dallas County in 2008, including stretches within Dallas. City documents say the arrangement allowed police to focus on neighborhoods and commercial areas while deputies handled highway crashes and traffic enforcement.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n