The Dallas City Council has voted to increase the police department’s hiring goal from 250 to 300 officers for 2025, aligning with recommendations from Dallas Police Department (DPD) leadership and the city manager. The 12–2 decision, while nonbinding, reflects ongoing efforts to address public safety concerns and strengthen police presence in the city.
Interim Police Chief Michael Igo reaffirmed his support for the new hiring target, emphasizing that DPD is on track to recruit between 280 and 300 officers by the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025. However, he urged caution against further increasing the hiring goal to 325, a proposal from the city’s public safety committee. Igo warned that such an aggressive target would force DPD to reassign officers from patrol duties to staff the police academy seven days a week, potentially resulting in longer response times and increased crime rates.
“If it was as simple as snapping my fingers, we’d do that in a heartbeat,” Igo stated. “Give us time to get those resources in place where it doesn’t affect our communities.”
Council member Cara Mendelsohn contended for a more ambitious goal, advocating for a target of 325 officers and even suggesting earlier this month that the city should aim to hire 400 officers this year. She argued that setting a higher goal would demonstrate to voters that elected officials recognize the urgent need for more law enforcement personnel.
“It’s not for us to tell you how to get there, it’s for us to say we want to set a higher goal,” Mendelsohn said.
Dallas voters signaled their support for police expansion last fall when they approved an amendment requiring the department to work toward adding up to 900 officers, ultimately reaching a force of 4,000. As of February 1, DPD had just over 3,160 sworn officers.
Despite Mendelsohn’s push, a majority of the council viewed the 300-officer goal as both realistic and responsible given current departmental resources.
“Three-hundred officers is an attainable goal that’s not going to come at the expense of compromising the already strained resources that we have in the Dallas Police Department,” council member Adam Bazaldua stated.
As DPD moves forward with its recruitment efforts, city leaders remain focused on balancing public safety needs with realistic staffing capabilities, ensuring the department can grow without negatively impacting existing operations.
