The academics helping Dallas fight violent crime for the past five years are dumping the police department, the police chief said Monday.
The University of Texas at San Antonio, after years of helping the Dallas police develop and evaluate the department’s violent-crime reduction strategy, intends to end its partnership with the city, police Chief Daniel Comeaux told Dallas City Council members during a Public Safety Committee meeting at City Hall.
“They broke up with us,” Comeaux said. “That plain and simple.”
The collaboration dates to early 2021, when Dallas first hired UTSA to provide technical assistance and consulting services for the department’s violent-crime reduction effort.
The plan centered on a data-driven “hot spot” policing strategy, using crime data to identify small areas with high levels of violence and direct officers and resources to them. City leaders have often credited the approach, launched under then-Chief Eddie García, with helping drive year-over-year declines in violent crime.
The reason behind the split was unclear. Comeaux didn’t elaborate at the meeting. Allison Hudson, a police spokesperson, declined to comment or answer a list of questions. Spokespeople for UTSA did not return messages seeking comment Monday afternoon.
The breakup would cut short a partnership that was set to last two more years. In April 2025, City Council members approved a three-year, $337,305 agreement with UTSA to continue the arrangement.
Comeaux said the department was looking for another academic institution, with the search starting in the Dallas area.
City Council member Cara Mendelsohn, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, said UTSA has done great work, and she was thankful for the university’s partnership with the city.
“Now that the department is going to go in a different direction, I am looking forward to our new chapter on how we address violent crime,” Mendelsohn said in an interview after the meeting.
Council Member Jesse Moreno, the committee’s vice chair, did not respond to messages seeking comment after the meeting.
Maj. Andre Taylor, who oversees the department’s violent crime efforts, said UTSA officials would attend a future City Council meeting to discuss the partnership, which he added will end Aug. 1.
Comeaux said police would keep using the approach developed through the collaboration.
“We’ll continue with that formula that we’re working with now,” he said.