How a rubble-ridden lot in Oak Cliff became a safe place for children who do far more than play.
Author Archives: Kelli Smith
Posted inCriminal Justice
They Spent Weeks Housing the Homeless, Then Police Showed Up
The officers arrived by 6 a.m. last Thursday, parking their squad cars and white vans on each side of Clarence Street, off Cesar Chavez Boulevard. The Dallas Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team walked into a clearing under Interstate 45 with zip ties looped around their duty belts and radios. They woke about two dozen people who […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
How Dallas Police Ramped Up Homeless Enforcement
The January storm was on its way, but the cops came first. Police approached a clearing filled with tents less than a mile south of Deep Ellum that winter morning, confronting nearly four dozen people who had settled onto the cracked pavement beneath Interstate 45. Those in the encampment awoke to a fleet of police […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Dallas’ Juvenile Justice System Was Broken. Have County Leaders Fixed It?
The length of time child defendants spent incarcerated in Dallas County awaiting their cases to be resolved declined by 59 percent in two years—moving the juvenile justice system closer to meeting national standards for the first time since at least 2018. The average number of children held behind bars last year who were awaiting sentencing […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
This Is What It Takes to Keep the Jail From Overflowing
In the years since the pandemic, the Lew Sterrett Justice Center has attracted more attention for its failures and challenges than any triumphs and progress. The county jail, Texas’ second largest, neared 100 percent capacity last fall, requiring emergency beds to house the inmates. A botched transition to new court software in 2023 forced courthouse […]
Posted inPublic Services
What’s Really at Stake in November
Good morning and congratulations. You made it through the primary elections. Your phone should stop vibrating through your pocket any day now—except for, maybe, the voters who will return to the polls in the May runoff to determine candidates like attorney general. The Dallas results came late: The county GOP’s decision to hem voters into […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Where Did the Patrol Cops Go?
In 2021, after Dallas shifted its attention to curb violent crime, patrol numbers fell and response times skyrocketed. Those trends are changing, and so are the police department’s priorities.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Health, Housing, Neighborhoods, Public Services
These Stories Will Shape Dallas in 2026
The new year is here, and we are highlighting seven topics we’ll be watching closely.
Posted inCriminal Justice
When Mom Can’t Come Home
Last year, a program that attracted national attention for reuniting incarcerated mothers with their kids faced closure. Angelica Zaragoza helped it expand instead.
Posted inCriminal Justice
The Stubborn Story of a Challenged Apartment Complex
Volara in Oak Cliff, once the most violent apartments in Dallas, last year became a tale of success. In 2025, police say it has returned to its old ways. What happened?