Dallas Hero, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, has proposed three amendments to Dallas' ballot aimed at funding police officers and increasing accountability for city employees.
Executive Director Pete Marrocco dallas heroDallas City Charter Reform groups told FOX News Digital that the three city charter amendments that voters are expected to decide on in November leave the police department lacking adequate funding and the city at a crossroads. He said that the announcement was made during the “Corrupt” City Council.
“170,000 people signed a petition from Dallas residents saying these changes are essential,” said Marrocco, a Marine Corps veteran who has worked in security, intelligence and humanitarian efforts in the private sector and federal government. They're gathering,” he said. “And it really became a David versus Goliath, people versus establishment.”
The reforms would increase staffing and pay for the Dallas Police Department, tie city officials' pay to performance, and allow citizens to take legal action against city leaders who don't abide by city ordinances.
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Dallas Hero Executive Director Pete Marrocco discussed three proposed amendments to ballots in Dallas. This amendment focuses on increasing safety and accountability in law enforcement. (Fox News Digital)
Three fixes:
Proposition S
Proposition S would allow Dallas residents to sue the city and require the city to comply with charter provisions, ordinances, and state law. It would also exempt city governments from immunity from lawsuits and liability under the proposed amendments.
“The reason we need this in the charter is because it gives Dallas residents the ability to hold the city accountable if the city refuses to enforce its laws,” Morocco said.
“If you read the amendment, it's very clear there. It's just for injunctive and declaratory relief after 60 days of notice,” he said. “If the city follows the law, there's nothing to worry about, even after giving 60 days' notice.”
Proposition T
If approved, Proposition T would use annual surveys to add or subtract money from city managers' salaries based on performance.
“What we are proposing is based on the performance of city managers that if they are not successful in combating crime, homelessness, littering on streets and infrastructure, and aggressive panhandling, they will be fired. Introducing a compensation package,” Marrocco said. “And if you perform really well, you could earn performance-based compensation worth up to 100% of your salary.”
A police car sits on Main Street in Dallas after a sniper opened fire during a protest on July 7, 2016. (Laura Bachman/AFP via Getty Images)
Proposition U
Morocco said Proposition U increases funding to increase police recruitment and retention.
He said the Dallas Police Department currently does not have the minimum number of officers required by the previous law, and that the amendment would increase the city's hiring to three officers for every 1,000 residents. said.
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He noted that police officers in Dallas earn $12,000 less than in suburban towns outside the city limits, and said the changes would also increase their pay.
“It's a very insidious move by the city council to avoid direct funding cuts to the police force by simply forcing them into a life they can't stand and forcing them out,” he said.
Mr. Morocco said the need to increase funding for police is paramount to public safety.
“Dallas has a $5 billion budget. The amount of money we're talking about to properly staff the police department is about a penny on the dollar,” he said.
A flag flies outside Dallas Police Department Headquarters in Dallas on July 12, 2016, facing half the officers. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Morocco City said a lack of police officers caused delays in responding to reported crimes and the lack of permanent police presence in the city.
“When police are understaffed and police respond slowly, and when a murder, shooting, stabbing occurs, they respond within 15 minutes,” he said. “This is very serious.”
“We also know of people who have reported property crimes and never received a response from police,” he said. “I haven't seen a Dallas traffic police officer in a year, and people are driving more recklessly.”
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Morocco said the presence of human trafficking and the city's proximity to the southern border exacerbated the problem.
“We're seeing a surge in immigration. We're also seeing an increase in Venezuelan gangs,” he said. “Someone recently threatened to blackmail a woman and torture her by cutting off her fingers in her home. It's really scary to see what's going on here.”
As other major U.S. cities crack down on police in response to increases in murders and violent crime, Dallas officials are taking a different approach. (Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Dallas HERO Project faces hurdles in getting Amendments S, T, and U onto the ballot in November. Morocco shared that the group faced a lawsuit from the City Council, took it all the way to the Texas Supreme Court, and won.
“We got it on the ballot after a lot of hard work and advocacy, and then we actually had to litigate,” he said.
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“This is about improving safety, this is about increasing accountability, this is about law enforcement,” he said. “When voters go to the polls and early voting begins next week, we need people to vote for the final three proposals, ST and U.”
Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins said at an August City Council meeting that the proposal could send the city back into the “dark ages.” KERA News reported.
“Overall, we're going to have to make drastic, very extreme cuts across the board,” Interim City Manager Kimbrely Tolbert told the City Council, according to KERA News. “And it’s not just day-to-day, it’s a significant reduction in all the services we provide in the city.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Dallas City Council, Dallas City Manager and Dallas Police Department for comment.
