More Police Patrolling Deep Ellum To Enforce Teen Curfew

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — More officers have been patrolling Deep Ellum this weekend as a teen curfew was enforced in efforts to make the district safer — The question is: Did it help?

Several people told CBS 11 News they noticed more police presence over the weekend. On foot, bike and mounted.

However, many believe there's simply not enough man power to keep up with the crime. Like what happened in a nearby parking lot Saturday night.

Around 12:30 a.m. July 27, shots were fired as a security camera on Malcolm X and Main Street caught smoke rising from a car as well as people frantically running.

Jackson Freeman, who visited Deep Ellum, heard about the shooting.

"Hearing that there was shooting, yeah that does kind of make me skeptical about this area"

The same night — about a block away — a crowd of people were seen blocking the street, even jumping on to the back of a taxi and riding it as it rode away.

People who work in the entertainment neighborhood believe these people are mostly underage.

All of this was going on during Dallas police's teen curfew enforcement period — which prohibits teens 16-and-under from being out after midnight on the weekends.

Deep Ellum resident Bobby Kurtz said he wasn't sure these kids are going to be deterred by a curfew.

"I think the general presence that's happening — that makes sense — I just don't know if a curfew will be as effective as some other ideas," Kurtz said.

After multiple suggestions to make the district safer, the Dallas Police Department is looking to see if the curfew was beneficial.