City Says It's Serious About Cleaning Up One Beleaguered NW Dallas Intersection

View Larger Map
Last week, council member Ann Margolin told a room full of Northwest Dallas residents that the city was going to start cracking down on crime at and around the intersection of Royal Lane and Dennis Road, where day-laborers while away the daylight hours in front of a convenience store. Matter of fact, she said, on November 19 she was meeting with First Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans and Dallas police officials to discuss the matter. Which she did: After the jump, you'll find a letter Deputy Chief Malik Aziz of the Northwest Division's Patrol Bureau sent to Evans in advance of their confab detailing the myriad issues with the intersection, which has become a hot spot for drug dealing, prostitution, gambling and, till recently, a homeless camp.

But first, here's Margolin's missive sent to to "community leaders concerned with NW Dallas issues":

I am continuing to get attention focused on this area. The police are working hard to deal with the Dennis/Royal intersections. See attached for many arrests for drugs, gambling and prostitution. City staff is working to find an alternate location for the day labor center.

Code will be doing a sweep of the residences in the area west of Webb Chapel and east of Dennis/Brockbank in about 2 weeks. Please continue to feed violations to Mick McCord at [email protected].

Mr. Evans:

• 10-19-09 - I held a meeting with all of the area store owners and managers. 90 percent of the meeting attendees signed the Criminal Trespass Affidavits Forms and expressed and interest to help and many were very vocal about the problem they had given up on. They praised our efforts in being proactive and seeking them out. It was a first. Even the C-Store attended and they have signed a CT Form. The Texaco and C-Store locations were identified as the core of the problem for loitering, illegal vendors, drugs, prostitution and gambling.
• 50 percent of the businesses have completed CT Forms and the other half are saying they will complete the forms. Only one business has refused to complete the CT Forms.
• NW made one drug arrest for Marijuana and Narcotics addressed the location (C-Store) twice with success. The follow up is forth coming. Narcotics Division and NW officers continue to address the location for dug activity.
• We made 3 prostitution arrests on location in the last 3 weeks and we ran an operation with Vice that netted 7 prostitution arrests in the upper Harry Hines Blvd. We will continue to address vice issues.
• We opened up a Safe Case referral at the location in order to gain compliance. The Property Owner (not the manager) has given us his support against the illegal activity at his location. We have an Accord Meeting next week with the owners to get the issues resolved as to what type of action they addressed and did not address.
• I sent a letter last year about the illegal 8 liner gambling at the C-Store and the Texaco and both returned. The C-Store removed their machines again after our request. The Texaco did not and Vice ran an operation at my request which resulted in a seizure of cash and 2 gambling machines. No machines are at either location at this time.
• We are in the process with setting up a meeting with the Mexican Consulate, Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and North Texas LULAC to address the Day Laborer relocation issue and look for solutions together in providing a place for day laborers to get work. We have no location at this time and they may be able to provide us with contacts for a suitable business location that is willing to allow day laborers.
• The meeting has been on hold as two of three aforementioned entities deal with internal issues that may be resolved shortly. We hope to meet with three of their representatives in the next 2 weeks to deal specifically with the illegal immigrants issues. Our goal is to have their help and input in restoring the quality of life in the area, incapacitating crime, narcotics and vice issues, and protecting victims who are looking for honest employment.
• Code Enforcement and the NW Community Prosecutor continue to address code issues.
• A Homeless Camp on Dennis (brought to us by Mick McCord) was cleaned up and has not returned.
• A meeting of the business owners will take place after the meeting with the Mexican Consulate, Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and North Texas LULAC.
• A more targeted enforcement will take place immediately thereafter as we tackle this enormous challenge.

MALIK AZIZ
DEPUTY CHIEF
NORTHWEST DIVISION
PATROL BUREAU