The effort started in November last year and continued through Jan. 9, police said.
By Suryatapa Chakraborty
Dallas Morning News
https://www.dallasnews.com/
The Dallas Police Department said Tuesday that it arrested 52 wanted felons late last year during a holiday season operation conducted in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Dubbed Operation Holiday Heat, the effort launched Nov. 23 and concluded Jan. 9. It was part of the department’s citywide crime reduction efforts, officials said during a news conference.
“The goal was simple,” Dallas police Chief Daniel Comeaux said. “Keep everyone safe.”
Comeaux said that as a result of his department’s partnership with federal marshals, over 700 people with warrants have been arrested since May last year to date.
Dallas police said out of the 52 individuals, 11 were arrested for murder and 34 were repeat offenders.
“Anyone who has a felony warrant should be worried,” Comeaux said.
Police Maj. Andre Taylor, who oversees the department’s violent crime efforts, said in the citywide effort to reduce violent crime during the holiday period, the department worked with the fugitive unit and the marshals to find wanted individuals.
Taylor said as a result of the efforts, Dallas saw a 10% decrease in aggravated assaults, 50% fewer business robberies and 34% fewer individual robberies in the focus areas as compared to 2024.
He said the operation shows how “targeted proactive enforcement combined with partnership between city departments and our federal partners make Dallas safe.”
“We’re making a difference, and the statistics speak for themselves,” said Sean Malecha, acting U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Texas.
Malecha said his agency has partnered with Dallas police several times for different operations over the past 12 months.
The agencies have targeted fugitives with extensive histories, those who were wanted on sex-related warrants and on family and domestic violence warrants, Malecha said.
He said now the agencies are targeting the fugitives residing in high-crime areas in the city.
“Once a dangerous fugitive makes it on our radar, we do not stop until that individual is apprehended,” Malecha said.
Yesterday, Dallas police said, violent crime went down 12% in 2025 compared to the year before. The department data showed 141 homicides in the calendar year, the lowest since 2015.
Suryatapa Chakraborty is a breaking news reporter at The Dallas Morning News. She graduated from Boston University with a master’s degree in Journalism. She has previously reported for Boston Globe Media and the Cape Cod Times.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
