“They were the location where people could congregate, could drink and loiter,” Martinez said.
Zain Dosa, the manager at one of the corner stores said he hired his own security because police are slow to respond to problems there.
“The people over here, they start fighting, they start doing criminal activities over here,” Dosa said.
Dallas police attempt to inspect convenience stores and work with owners to install surveillance cameras and effective lighting.
So far, 759 stores have registered for inspections and police have completed 444, according to a briefing for the Dallas City Council Public Safety Committee this week.
Now, the plan is for police to team up with code enforcement officers to conduct more inspections. Officials said they also want to make the rules tougher and require at least three cameras in every store, to record video of crooks coming and going.