Chief Executive Officer
Joseph W. Costa
Welcome to the DeSoto Police Department ’ s Annual Report for 2021! Thank you for tak- ing an interest in our department and for the support we receive from the community, the city administration and our elected officials. We hope that you will enjoy this edition and become informed of some of the highlights relative to the overall efforts and activi- ties of the dedicated men and women that make up the entire department. This includes all of our officers, employees and volunteers in Patrol, CID, Administration, Code En- forcement, Animal Control and the DeSoto Regional Jail. Just when we thought that COVID was somewhat behind us, it came roaring back to chal- lenge us again. With the emergence of Omicron, our communities took a step back and tried to handle this new strain of COVID. The year started off as if we were emerging from the grip of the pandemic. Then mid - year it took a downward spiral with Omicron creeping into our lives. In early November, the virus was slowing down and we decom- missioned the Parkland testing and vaccine site at Ellis Davis Sports Complex. Not long after, our officers were tasked with providing security, to the same site, now operating as a contract vendor due to a sharp rise in cases. We were right in the middle of it again. However, we made it through and by the end of the year, the pandemic was subsiding and the site slowed down, again! In 2021, our overall crime increased by more than 9%! There were a few bright spots. We are proud to report that over the last five years our crime is down by 29%. Last year, property crime was down by 32% and robberies decreased by over 27%. Our city is still much safer than it was in 2017. DeSoto, much like the rest of the Metroplex, saw a rise in assaults and domestic violence last year.
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