Cite and Release begins December 1

On December 1, 2017 the City of Dallas will begin the Cite and Release Program. The city has released ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ to alleviate confusion citizens may have.

Does this decriminalize marijuana in the City of Dallas?

No. Marijuana is still illegal in the City of Dallas and the State of Texas.

Who does this impact?

This will only impact individuals detained:

• With 4 ounces of marijuana or less;
• Who reside in the Dallas County portion of the City of Dallas and are detained in the same area;
• and must have a valid Texas issued ID or Driver License

Is this citation reducing the charge from a Class A or B misdemeanor to a Class C citation?

No. This citation does not reduce the charge to a Class C ticket. The charges are as follows: A Class B misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 and/or 180 days in jail. A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine up to $4,000 and/or up to one year in jail. This is not a Class C citation or ticket.

If I receive a citation, what court do I need to go to?

Individuals detained for Possession of Marijuana, a Class A or B misdemeanor offense and given the Dallas County Acknowledgement & Acceptance Form will be assigned a court date at the Frank Crowley Courts Building, 133 N Riverfront Blvd., 75207.

What happens if I don’t show up to the court date?

If the individual does not attend their court date, a warrant will be issued for their arrest.

Why is the City of Dallas doing this?

On April 12, 2017, the Council approved the creation and implementation of a cite and release program. Cite and Release will allow officers to rapidly document the offense and return to their patrol duties, protecting the citizens of Dallas.

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Streets to be closed during the 50th annual Turkey Trot

The 50^th annual Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot will take place on Thursday November 23. Projected attendance is 40,000 people. Road closures related to this special event will impact traffic around Dallas City Hall and Downtown Dallas.

The following streets will be closed to traffic for event staging:

• Young St. – All lanes closed between Akard St. and Browder St. on Wednesday November 22 at 7 p.m. until Thursday November 23 at 1 p.m.
• Young St. – All lanes closed between Saint Paul St. and Park St. on Wednesday from 7 p.m. until Thursday at 1 p.m.
• Young St. – All lanes closed between Griffin St. and Harwood St. on Thursday from 4 a.m. until 1 p.m.

The following streets will be intermittently closed to traffic on Thanksgiving Day from 8 a.m. until noon, while participants pass through:

• Young/Canton St. – All lanes from Akard St. to Hall St. closed
• Hall St. – All lanes from Canton St. to Main St. closed
• Main St. – All lanes closed from Hall St. to Houston St.
• Market St. – All lanes closed from Main St. to Young St.
• Houston St. – All lanes closed from Main St. to Reunion Boulevard
• Reunion Boulevard West – All westbound lanes closed to Hotel Drive
• Hyatt Regency Dallas Hotel access from Reunion Boulevard East
• Hotel Drive – All northbound lanes closed from Reunion Boulevard to Sports St.; dedicated lane available for Hyatt Regency Dallas Hotel access
• Reunion Boulevard – All eastbound lanes closed to Sports St.
• Sports St. – All northbound lanes closed to North Drive
• Hyatt Regency Dallas Hotel access provided by Dallas Police
• North Drive – All lanes closed
• Hotel St. – All lanes closed from Memorial Drive to Reunion Boulevard East
• Houston St. – All southbound lanes closed from Reunion Boulevard East
• Marsalis Avenue/Houston St. Viaduct – All lanes closed from Houston St. to Colorado Boulevard
• Colorado Boulevard – All lanes closed from North Zang to North Marsalis Avenue
• Blaylock Drive – All lanes closed from Colorado Boulevard to East 5th St.
• East 5th St. – All lanes closed from Blaylock Drive to Beckley Avenue
• Beckley Avenue – All lanes closed from East 5th St. to Zang Boulevard
• Zang Boulevard – All northeast lanes closed from Beckley Avenue to Jefferson St. Viaduct
• Jefferson St. Viaduct – All northeast lanes closed from Zang Boulevard to Market St.
• Market St. – All northbound lanes closed from Jefferson St. Viaduct to Young St.
• Young St. – All lanes closed from Market St. to Marilla St.

Please note parking at meters will be restricted from Wednesday November 22 at 9 a.m. to Thursday November 23 at 5 p.m. for event staging along the following streets:

• Young St. between Akard St. and Harwood St.
• Browder St. and South Ervay St. between Young St. and Marilla St.

Meters along the entire route will be hooded beginning Thursday November 23 at 3 a.m. and will be removed by 2 p.m. that afternoon.

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City of Dallas closures and schedules for Thanksgiving and Friday Nov. 24

City offices:
Closed on Thursday November 23 and Friday, November 24.

Libraries:
Closed on Thursday November 23 and Friday November 24.

Recreation Centers:
Administrative offices and Recreation Centers closed on Thursday November 23 and Friday November 24.

Animal Services:
Shelter and Administrative offices will close Thursday November 23.  Animal Services staff will respond to emergency calls.  All calls will be handled through 311. Both adoption and lost and found centers will be open for normal hours on Friday November 24.

3-1-1 Customer Help Line:
Customer Service Representatives will be available to take service related urgent calls such as water main breaks, downed trees/limbs, signal lights out/down, animal control, etc.  Water Customer Service will be closed. For service requests visit

Police and Dallas Fire-Rescue
Administrative offices closed. Will operate on a normal schedule.

Court & Detention Services:
The Municipal Courts Building at 2014 Main will be closed Thursday November 23 and Friday November 24.  Payments by mail are accepted with postmark dates honored.  Online payments may be made at www.dallascityhall.com. Full payments and attorney and cash bonds for arrested defendants will be processed 24 hours/7days a week (including holidays) at the Dallas Marshal’s Office, 1600 Chestnut St.

Sanitation:
Administrative offices closed on Thursday November 23 and Friday November 24. There will be no garage, recycling or brush/bulk trash collections on Thursday, November 23. Thursday customers should place their garbage and recycling carts out on Wednesday November 22. Garbage and recycling roll carts will be collected as scheduled for Friday customers on Friday, November 24. If needed, brush/bulk trash collection will resume for third Monday customers. Transfer stations and the McCommas Bluff landfill will be open as scheduled.

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Dallas Fire-Rescue tests Priority Dispatch

The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department (DFR) is announcing the implementation of the Medical Priority Dispatch System, known as Priority Dispatch, to better serve the citizens of Dallas in emergency medical situations. The new system, which was approved by City Council earlier this year, follows nationally recognized standards that provide identification of life-threatening situations, determination of critical emergency call information for responders, and call prioritization to send the right resource to the highest medical need request. This gives consistent care and service to every emergency medical request received.  The system is scheduled to be implemented toward the middle of November, and has another significant benefit – a proactive quality improvement program that will serve as an important component towards DFR’s continued assessment, adjustment, and improvements in EMS delivery.

“The system will allow DFR to send the most appropriate EMS resource to handle high-priority calls, while still managing the overall ambulance resource needs throughout the City; ensuring effective response times to the highest priority calls”, said DFR Assistant Chief of the EMS and Communications Bureau, Daniel Salazar, when asked how the new system will best benefit callers.

The department plans to evaluate how the system responds and works with the current DFR response model over the next three to four months.

“Assuming the system works as anticipated, there will be changes made in the way EMS service delivery is provided across the City, primarily in call prioritization and what type of resource (EMS unit, Fire unit, or further processing) each call receives,” said David Coatney, Chief of the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department.

It is important that the citizens of Dallas understand that the new system will not impact how quickly a response is sent to high priority EMS calls; but instead, other types of calls (non-urgent) will require more vetting to determine which type of EMS resource should be dispatched.  Dallas Fire-Rescue will continue to put Service First as the system is implemented and fully expects that it will help in the daily management of incoming calls.

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Dallas Love Field helps make holiday travel easy

Dallas Love Field offers travel and parking tips to help ease the stress of holiday travel.

• Check with your airline for flight departure/arrival status prior to arriving at the airport.
• Arrive at least one and a half to two hours before your flight to allow time for parking, check-in, baggage check, security and any unplanned events, especially during peak hours.
• All parking options at Dallas Love Field are first-come, first-serve.
• On-site parking in Parking Garage A is $17 a day, while on-site parking in Parking Garage B is $13 a day.
• Remote parking is available at Love Connection, located on the northeast corner of Mockingbird Lane and Harry Hines Boulevard. Parking is $6/day and includes a roundtrip shuttle running every 15 to 20 minutes.
• The Cell Phone Lot is closed. Express Parking, located in Garage A, has 60 designated spaces available for up to two hours while waiting for arriving passengers. The first hour is free in Express Parking and in all spots throughout Garage A.
• Drop-off and pick-up for passengers is on the upper level, marked Departures/Arrivals, on the upper roadway of Herb Kelleher Way. The ticketing hall, security checkpoint and baggage claim are on the upper level.
• Passengers using any form of ground transportation, including taxis, for-hire shuttles, transportation network companies and rental car shuttles should proceed to the lower level upon exiting either baggage claim or the terminal.
• Due to limited curb space, dropping off and waiting for arriving passengers on the upper roadway must be done in an efficient manner. Dallas Police will be on-site to control traffic and monitor curb operations.
• Abandoned vehicles or those parked in unauthorized areas will be towed.
• Hide, Lock, and Take. Hide your belongings, Lock your car, and Take your keys.  If you own a truck, be sure to lock or secure the tailgate.
• Additional travel and airport information can be obtained by visiting one of the three information booths in the terminal lobby, baggage claim and concessions village.
• The Route 524 buses connect Love Field and DART’s Inwood/Love Field station. The free shuttle operates every day from approximately 5:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. For schedule and fare information, visit www.DART.org/LoveField.
• Due to the increased volume of vehicles during the holidays, consider alternate plans for getting to and from the airport, such as DART, Ground Transportation (Taxis, Shuttle Services, Transportation Network Companies, etc.) or having someone pick up or drop you off.
• Carry-on items are limited to one small bag and one personal item (i.e., camera, laptop, briefcase, purse, etc.).

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Dallas Animal Services waives adoption fees

Dallas Animal Services (DAS) kennels are nearly full, and with more animals coming in daily, adoption fees are being waived. Animals already spayed or neutered are free to adopt, as well as animals over six years old, and all dogs heavier than 30 pounds. More than 200 animals are available for adoption now, with many more available to be pre-adopted.

“We are reaching out to the community to help us find homes for the many deserving animals waiting to be adopted,” said DAS Director Ed Jamison. “Even if people can’t adopt, we’re asking them to encourage their friends who are looking to add a pet to their family to come visit us. We have more dogs coming in every day and need the support of animal lovers, rescues, and all citizens,” he said.

Nearly 3,000 animals came into DAS last month; some days saw more than 100 animals arrive. Adoption fees are being waived at both the main adoption center at 1818 N. Westmoreland Road and the PetSmart Everyday Adoption Center at 16821 N. Coit Road. To see hours for both locations, visit www.dallasanimalservices.org.

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Code Compliance holds first Citizens Code Academy

The City of Dallas Code Compliance Department completed the first Dallas Citizen Code Academy on October 24. The Mayor and City Council members nominated citizens from all areas of the Dallas community to attend the first Academy, which required each participant to attend three 2-hour classes.

Eighteen citizens completed learning modules on a broad range of topics such as common code violations, nuisance abatement, substandard structures, zoning and community partnerships. The training gave citizens a better understanding of Code Compliance’s goals to create clean and safe neighborhoods through proactive enforcement and partnering with local communities in Dallas. In addition, Sanitation Services and 311 shared with the Academy class their departments’ service objectives.

“The Citizen Code Academy gave community leaders the opportunity to share with staff issues we are trying to solve and the city staff the opportunity to share with the community leaders how we can help improve the quality of life in Dallas,” said Phil Sahuc from District 11’s Pagewood Neighborhood Association.

Dallas residents interested in participating in the next Academy should contact Code Compliance Training Manager Macklin Wright at macklin.wright@dallascityhall.com or 214-670-9710.  The next class is scheduled to start in February and will be held on a quarterly basis.

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City warns residents about fraudulent emails

The City of Dallas has learned that some residents may have received a fraudulent email claiming to be a “notice to appear in court.” The email is made to resemble a notice to appear before a judge in Dallas City Municipal Court for traffic violations, but is not from the City of Dallas. Residents who receive this fraudulent email should not click on any links or download any attachments.

Although the City does send warrant notifications via automated email, these notifications will always come from City of Dallas Court and Detention Services or the Marshal’s Office, and will not have attachments. Residents who receive a warrant notification via email indicating that they have an arrest warrant issued by the City of Dallas Municipal Courts should visit Courts.DallasCityHall.com or call (214) 670-0109 to resolve and/or confirm the warrant.

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Dallas Police award Officer and Employee of the year

The Annual Friends of the Dallas Police Awards Banquet was held at the Hyatt Regency on November 6, 2017. Members of the department, both sworn and non-sworn, were honored for their dedication and commitment to the citizens of Dallas and the Dallas Police Department.

A sworn and non-sworn employee are selected as Bureau Employee of the Year from the Office of the Chief of Police and each of the five bureaus: Administrative, Investigations, Patrol, Strategic Deployment, and Support. The Officer of the Year and Non-Sworn Employee of the Year are selected from these bureau award winners.

 The James Taylor Non-Sworn Employee of the Year is Stephanie Mendoza

The James Taylor Non-Sworn Employee of the Year award is given in memory of Chief Helicopter Pilot and Reserve Officer James “Chuck” Taylor, who passed away in 1984 from a helicopter crash. This award recognizes a non-sworn employees of the department for their dedication to the police profession. Stephanie Mendoza is an Office Assistant currently assigned to the Auto Theft Unit. Stephanie Mendoza has served for 3 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 The John T. McCarthy Officer of the Year is Police Officer Joe King

The John T. McCarthy Officer of the Year Award is given in memory of John T. McCarthy, an officer who was murdered while investigating suspicious activity near White Rock Lake in 1981. This award commends an officer who has shown exemplary contributions to law enforcement. The nominees are submitted to the bureau commanders for consideration by supervisors throughout the department. The Officer of the Year is selected by the Chief of Police.  Officer of the year for 2017 is Police Officer Joe King. He is 20 year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. Officer King is currently assigned to the Administrative & Support Services.

 

 

 

Click here to view the award winners for every category.

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City Hall celebrates 7th annual Mayor’s Monster Mash

Hundreds of City of Dallas employees gathered in the City Hall Lobby on Halloween to celebrate the 7^th annual Mayor’s Monster Mash.

This event, first organized by Mayor Mike Rawlings in 2011, is a highlight of the year for City employees, and gets bigger every year. Employees are invited to wear costumes, enjoy snacks and compete in costume contests. In 2013, a group costume category was added, with past winners including:

• 2013 – Toddlers and Tiaras by Community Prosecution
• 2014 – We Are The World by Community Prosecution
• 2015 – Soul Train by Office of Economic Development
• 2016 – Thriller by Office of Economic Development
• 2017 – Soldiers by Fair Housing and Human Rights Office

For 2017, a new Mayor’s Trophy was given to the winning group, to hold until next year’s Monster Mash. The Mascot Dance Off was also new this year, with the Texas Rangers’ Captain, SMU Mustang, Dallas Stars’ Victor E. Green, Half Price Books’ Bookworm, Dallas Mavs Man, State Fair of Texas’ Big Tex and Frisco Roughriders’ Deuce and Daisy. Several department mascots participated, including Dallas Police Department’s McGruff and Dallas Fire-Rescue’s Sparky the Fire Dog, among others.

 

The City would like to thank our employee DJ, James Harris, Dallas Water Utilities’ Central Snappers band, and K104’s Lady Jade for MCing. The City would also like to thank our sponsors:

• Frost Bank
• Ruibal’s Plants of Texas
• Yum! Brands
• Tiff’s Treats
• Cigna
• Albertson’s
• Dr Pepper Snapple Group
• Hypnotic Donuts
• Starbucks
• AT&T
• Robert Bostick Photography
• City of Dallas – Employee Advisory Council

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source http://www.dallascitynews.net/city-hall-celebrates-7th-annual-mayors-monster-mash

Employees win scholarships from Employee Advisory Committee

City employees were awarded scholarships from the Hispanic Association of City Employees for Results (HACER). HACER is an employee advisory committee, whose mission is “to provide a network of results oriented Hispanic City Employees ready, willing and able to fill and serve the needs of the community, while providing professional and social networking, support, coaching and mentoring opportunities.” HACER provides assistance wherever it is needed, from elderly City residents with code violations to offering professional development to other employees

HACER also works to give back to their members through the Drusilla Enriquez Memorial Scholarship. A founding member of HACER, and the scholarship is dedicated to Drusilla Enriquez and her leadership in forming the organization. $500 scholarships were awarded to three City employees, who submitted an essay describing their community work and HACER membership activities. These scholarships will go toward professional development and education.

The scholarship recipients:

Irene Arista, Dallas Fire-Rescue

Brenda Allen, Mayor’s Office

John Lemon, Transportation

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