Dallas PD chief defends record, says attacks fueled by union politics

Dallas Police Chief David Brown defended his record and said union politics was to blame for people demanding that he be fired.

A group of local and national police groups called for Brown’s resignation on Wednesday, citing low morale and multiple problems inside the department.

Brown told FOX4 during an exclusive interview that he’s skeptical of their claims.

“I don't believe all of it is accurate. I don't think it's much more than backdoor union politics at its worst,” Brown said.

Brown admitted that response times by police officers has risen, but said it’s only happened recently and that response times during most of his tenure were down.

He also had a different take on the union’s claims of increased crime.

“Violent crime this year, it's up six percent this year,” brown said. “But violent crime over my tenure as second in command and as chief is down 52 percent. Last year, 2014's murder rate, was the lowest in 84 years.”

“One snapshot in time of four, five months spike doesn't define a five-year tenure. I would argue we’re the best police department in the country,” Brown said.

Brown said he believes the reason for any low morale in the department is the starting pay for officers, which he said is $10-15,000 less than nearby cities. He added that he also holds problem officers accountable, which the unions don’t like.