Dallas Police Chief's Year One: Progress & Innovations

0:00It's April 24th. This is Dallas News today, your AI-powered local news. Dallas Police Chief Eddie Como is marking his first year on the job and he's pumped about the progress. He's built some of the biggest recruiting classes in years by dropping the college credit rule and get this, the department now has more officers than it did 10 years ago. Still, they're 100 short of the 4,000 voters greenlit two years back through a referendum. To tackle the shortage, Como is rolling out drones next month as first responders on low priority three and four calls. That means quicker checks without tying up patrol cars. He's also hiring civilians for human resources and internal affairs gigs that used to be just for sworn officers, plus using AI to handle reports and paperwork, freeing up cops for real action. These moves are already paying off in faster response times and smarter resource use. Como launched the Dallas Police Foundation to snag donations directly from locals, landing

1:01new dive rescue gear and extra mounted patrol horses. Without dipping into city funds, patrol fleets are getting upgrades too, including pickup trucks for better versatility. Violin crimes down thanks to nabbing more wanted felons, but the chief keeps it real, grading his own work a C plus B minus. There's always room to level up, he says, especially with big goals ahead. All eyes are on the world cup in just weeks, where security ramps up like a non-stop Texas OU showdown for 45 straight days. Como's crew is geared up and ready to deliver.