The illicit sex trade and prostitution have seen increases in Dallas city data in 2024.
This year, the buying of prostitution and human trafficking for sex work are on the rise, along with drug and motor vehicle theft, according to Dallas Express. covered in The Dallas Express. For example, DXCity Council Member Chad West (District 1) saw a 33.2% rise in motor vehicle thefts in his council district as of May 7, based on the city’s crime analytics data. dashboard.
So far this year, there have been 148 prostitution-related offenses, with 119 occurring in Council Member Omar Narvaez’s District 6. The purchase of prostitution accounted for 93 of the offenses. This represents a 365% increase compared to the previous year.
This significant increase may indicate that the Dallas Police Department is cracking down on the buyers of sex services. There have also been several well-publicized busts of individuals involved in April in undercover operations, as reported in The Dallas Express..
. Similar jumps were seen last year in prostitution offenses, particularly in the northwestern part of Dallas. ground zero. In 2023, there were 441 reports of prostitution, marking a substantial 153.4% increase from 2022.
The crime of human trafficking for commercial sex, which is closely linked to prostitution, has also reached new heights in Dallas this year. Compared to just 15 such offenses in the same period in 2023, there have been 28 incidences this year, representing an 86.7% increase year over year. According to City data, the victims were all female, ranging in age from 14 to 43. Most were black, while 10 were Hispanic and four were white.
As reported in The Dallas Express, a group called the Shepherd’s Watch Foundation has been monitoring sex trafficking operations in the region and noted that over 400 escort sites were serving Dallas. Exact figures are challenging to obtain for the city, and it's difficult to get a clear picture of the shady world of sex trafficking because these groups tend to move every 48 to 72 hours.
The Dallas Police Department faces challenges in combating this and other illegal activities due to a significant and long-standing shortage of officers. While a City report previously suggested a force of about 4,000 officers to ensure public safety, the department currently has only around 3,000 officers.
Moreover, City leaders approved a budget of just $654 million for the Dallas Police Department this fiscal year, which is much less than the funding approved for police in other high-crime areas nationwide, such as Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago.
The Dallas Express, The People’s Paper, believes important information about the City, such as crime rates and trends, should be easily accessible. According to data from the FBI’s UCR database, Dallas has more crime per capita than hotspots like Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York..
How did your area compare in terms of crime? Check out our interactive Crime Map to compare all Dallas City Council Districts. Curious about our data sources? Take a look at our methodology page here.
