crime police

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Violent crimes especially increased in 2016 over the previous year.

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Crime is up generally in Dallas and all over Texas, but the overall crime rate in 2016 was still the third-lowest since 1969.

Interim police chief David Pughes presented the city’s 2016 rime numbers to a City Council committee Monday. Find the entire presentation here.

Violent crime made the most notable jump — the highest rate since 2010.

Homicides are way up.

And the clearance rate — the percentage of cases in which a suspect was arrested — is down.

Pughes says he thinks that’s because fewer witnesses are willing to come forward. He also noted that it’s a mistake to put too much pressure on investigators to clear cases, especially in light of Dallas’ history with false convictions.

The overall crime rate is higher than 2014-2015, which are the lowest since 1969, but 2016 is still the third-lowest since that year.

Police response times are down from last year, although Monday’s report didn’t go back further than that for a bigger picture..

Despite a spike in applications following the July 9 police shooting, the Dallas Police Department still struggles to keep fully staffed.

But the department continues its work to reduce crime through foot patrols, community policing and task forces on violent crime, property crime, domestic violence and other hotspots.

Here is the overall crime snapshot for 2016.