City Manager announces new office, police department staffing changes
Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced the creation of the Office of Integrated Public Safety Solutions (OIPSS) and transfer of Executive Assistant Police Chief David Pughes to a new position as the inaugural Integrated Public Safety Solutions Officer effective April 29, 2020.
The OIPSS will work with various City departments and outside agencies to mitigate circumstances that promote, encourage, or contribute to violent criminal activity within identified high-risk areas of the city.
“This new office will support our police department’s efforts with essential crime reduction strategies,” said Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax. “This is a critical step as we work to move forward as a safer city for all residents.”
The goal of the OIPSS is to not only reduce crime, but also improve quality of life and create a sense of order in communities in Dallas. Additionally, the office will support the Dallas Police Department through in-depth crime analysis and Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM). RTM is a method that uses Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to explore the relationship between crime and the spatial features that influence and encourage criminal activity.
OIPSS will be led by David Pughes who is currently serving as Executive Assistant Chief of Police for the Dallas Police Department (DPD). Pughes is a 29-year veteran of DPD and previously served as the Interim Chief of Police in Dallas from October 2016 to September 2017.
“Truly this is an exciting time for our former Executive Assistant Chief of Police, David Pughes, who is embarking on a new journey within the City of Dallas,” said Dallas Chief of Police Reneé Hall. “I am grateful for his decades of service to the Dallas Police Department and I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue working with him in a pivotal role as we make Dallas one of the safest cities in America.”
OIPSS will conduct field assessments in high-risk areas to develop strategic intervention. This may include:
- Law Enforcement
- Administrative Inspections and Enforcement
- Infrastructure Enhancement or Repair
- Evaluation of current zoning, permits or business licenses
- Programming
The success of OIPSS will be conveyed through progress tracking tools and dashboards.