A MATTER OF CRIME

Muggings, burglaries and purse snatchings have had Preston Hollow residents on edge in 2023, but is neighborhood crime really ‘out of control’?

On a sunlit March afternoon, a masked man strode up a Preston Hollow driveway and aimed a gun at the homeowner and his daughter, who were unloading grocery bags from their car. The mugger made off with a cell phone and wallet and escaped in a waiting vehicle, says the victim, who asked to withhold his name for safety reasons.

“Everyone needs to be careful when leaving the grocery stores,” says the Preston Forest South resident. Police determined the robber followed the pair home from the Tom Thumb on Preston at Forest.

Around the same time, there was a surge in news and social media reports related to vehicle break ins, purse snatchings and aggressive panhandling in shopping centers at Preston Forest and Preston Royal, where one day last year three small businesses were victims of destructive smash-and-grab burglaries.

On platforms such as Nextdoor, neighbors complain that crime in our neighborhood is out of control, terrible and getting worse by the day.

“A lot of Preston Hollow people do not feel safe right now. People are getting robbed, mugged and followed home from the shopping center,” says Preston Hollow North resident James Carey. “For a while, we were hearing about these every day.” But is crime really worse than previous years?

Kory Helfman, who owns Ken’s Man’s Shop, one of those 2022 smash-and-grab casualties, said parking-lot robberies and burglaries spiked last fall and that he, his employees and clients have been on high alert ever since. But he has been in Preston Royal Village since the 1990s and cannot say things are either far better or worse in 2023.

“We don’t wish to scare people away from Preston Royal Village with this news,” he says when discussing the crime spike, “but we do want them to be aware of their surroundings and what they leave in the seats of their cars.”

Some residents say they are not comforted by the statistics, pointing out that many citizens have given up on reporting minor crimes because the police are so slow to respond to those calls.

Deputy Chief Rick Watson of the Northwest Patrol Division says he “respects and understands” that frustration. It’s no secret the Dallas Police Department is shorthanded, he says.

“That’s no excuse, but (long response times) can happen when you only have so many officers and your priority-one call load is heavy. Say, God forbid, someone is shot or a highway accident occurs on Central Expressway, that’s going to tie up several officers for several hours, as an example.”

Still, he encourages residents to report all crimes. Those reports help determine police resources in the area.

Neighbors who file a police report with the Dallas Police Department should also contact their local patrol division afterward about the incident and provide details and the incident number, says Major Mark Harris of the North Central Patrol. That way, community police can follow up with DPD, he says.

City leaders have pointed out that solid police work conducted after the recent high-profile reports of muggings, snatchings and break-ins resulted in multiple arrests.

Here are some statistics for the areas of concern and surrounding neighborhoods, as of late April 2023. (The following data omits violent domestic crimes reporting.)

North Central officers in March arrested a person suspected in Preston Forest motor vehicle burglaries.

“Diligent and vigilant investigative work caught this criminal,” council member Gay Donnell Willis announced at the time.

Around the same time, Northwest Division police were able to arrest both a purse snatching suspect and a robbery suspect by using surveillance, Watson says.

One purse snatcher was scouting out the Preston Royal parking lots waiting for shoppers to leave belongings unattended, Watson says. When the victim turned to unlock the car or load groceries, the perp would strike.

After a gunman followed and terrorized a man and his daughter, North Central officers set up in the nearby Tom Thumb parking lot. They determined perpetrators were watching people come and go and targeting individuals to follow home and rob.

Suspects are typically out on bail in a short time, and even when they do go to jail or prison, there is always another criminal to replace them. But Watson says since those early March arrests, no further purse snatchings or armed robberies have been associated with Preston Forest and Preston Royal shopping centers (as of late April).

That said, crime tends to increase with warmer weather, police say, so now is a time for diligence.

“If you're going to a restaurant or to a shopping center, just be very mindful, take a look around, and if you see a person or situation that you don't feel comfortable about, then by all means, call 911 to report it,” Watson says.

Helfman says Preston Royal patrons can reduce their risk with a simple step: Remove all valuables from sight in your parked car.

“A purse, shopping bags, iPad — even if only for a couple of minutes while you run into one of the shops — is enough time for the smash-the-window-and-grab scenario to play out. We just want people to be aware and diligent.”

North Central’s Maj. Harris says if you feel threatened, dial 911 immediately.

“If you think you are being followed, do not go home, and drive to a police or fire station.”

IN NORTH CENTRAL PATROL DIVISION:

CRIMES

Against Persons

(i.e. murder, rape, assault) Down 22.03%

Crimes Against Property

(i.e. burglary) Up 3.09%

Since last spring 640

Reported this year to date.

Crimes Against Society

(i.e. gambling, drug possession, prostitution)

Down 21%

200

Reported this year to date.

2,367

Reported this year to date.

NON-VIOLENT CRIME

Up 3.59%

Violent Crime

Down 33%

Overall crime is down since last spring 1.5%

The North Central division of the Dallas Police Department covers a significant portion of Preston Hollow, including the Tom Thumb at Preston and Forest. The division’s northern border extends to Plano and its southern boundary extends to Northwest Highway and follows the Park Cities border to Lovers Lane.

IN THE NORTHWEST PATROL DIVISION:

Crimes Against Persons

(i.e. murder, rape, assault) Down 3.56%

866

Reported this year to date.

Crimes Against Society

(i.e. gambling, drug possession, prostitution)

Up 19%

705

Reported this year to date.

Crimes Against Property

(i.e. burglary)

Up 8.13%

2,793

Reported this year to date.

NON-VIOLENT CRIME

Down 4.71% VIOLENT CRIME

Up 1.21%

Overall crime is down since last spring 4%

The Northwest Police Division covers much of the Preston Hollow area, including the shopping center at Preston and Royal. The Northwest command also extends to Dallas’ Design District and some sectors that include hotels and entertainment or commercial enterprises.

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