TX: DART’s crime and safety perception issues persist

Dallas Area Rapid Transit isn’t doing enough to reduce crime and make riders feel safe on its system.

A recent pair of fatal shootings at DART facilities in the span of a week brought the transit system’s safety struggles back into the spotlight.

Agency leaders should renew and redouble their focus on the public’s legitimate safety concerns, which remain a big reason many prefer to avoid Dallas’ transit system.

Getting agency leadership to discuss the issue more often would be a good place to start. DART Police Chief Charles Cato delivers a detailed quarterly report about crime statistics to members of the agency’s board of directors. They’re good reports, but board members should be getting them monthly. That would help ensure crime trends stay front of mind.

And DART can do more to make that detailed data easily available to the public. Dallas City Council Member Cara Mendelsohn has asked the agency to post crime reports to its website.

DART does publish some data, but generally with little detail. Prior to board meetings, the agency posts agenda documents that include presentations like Cato’s, an agency spokesperson explained. But after the meetings, they’re available only as part of the video recordings — not something most people are willing to watch.

Statistics are important, but the agency should remember that the perception of crime is nearly as important as the reality of it.

For example, the presence of homeless individuals who may appear dangerous — whether they actually are or not — tends to make passengers feel unsafe, particularly if there are few others around them. Even if there’s no crime or incident report, passengers will tend to remember that occasion the next time they make a decision about whether to use DART.

A big part of the problem is DART’s open-platform system. It’s been suggested many times that DART should shift to a closed system, but it’s unclear whether the cost and logistical barriers to that can realistically be overcome.

We suggest that DART may need to consider dedicating more resources than it already does to safety. For fiscal year 2026, the police budget is $61.2 million, an agency spokesperson said. DART has 231 police officers, 76 fare enforcement officers and 100 transit security officers. DART’s website indicates it has more than 6,800 bus stops and 65 light rail stations.

It’s important to note that this isn’t a DART-exclusive problem; transit agencies all over the country are facing similar issues. Like DART, Denver’s Regional Transportation District has struggled to increase ridership and has faced safety concerns from riders, The Denver Post reported.

We aren’t trying to trivialize the massive task of making a public transit system safe. But at the same time, DART needs to try different strategies and explore new ideas. Ridership will never grow if people don’t feel safe.

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