Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Will Dallas no longer dispatch police officers to respond to some low-priority crimes?
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
By Christopher Hutton
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NO
The Dallas Police Department memo rescinded a memo about diverting low-priority 911 calls hours after it was leaked on social media.
Per the memo, calls concerning a number of crimes, including car thefts, would be diverted. Instead of dispatching officers to the scene, 911 operators would redirect callers to an online reporting system, which would then forward information to detectives for follow-up. In a statement, the department stated that “although conversations have been held on this topic, the memorandum was sent prematurely.”
The head of the city council’s public safety committee said that such measures were intended to improve response times, but called for public discussion before further action.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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