This photo provided by the Dallas County Sheriff's Department shows Gregory Simpson, of Dallas, who was arrested and charged after walking into a Dallas police substation parking lot and damaging 12 police cars with a sledgehammer on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018.
This photo provided by the Dallas County Sheriff's Department shows Gregory Simpson, of Dallas, who was arrested and charged after walking into a Dallas police substation parking lot and damaging 12 police cars with a sledgehammer on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. Dallas County Sheriff's Department)
This photo provided by the Dallas County Sheriff's Department shows Gregory Simpson, of Dallas, who was arrested and charged after walking into a Dallas police substation parking lot and damaging 12 police cars with a sledgehammer on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. Dallas County Sheriff's Department)

Sledgehammered police cars raise concerns for officer safety

February 05, 2018 03:16 PM

A Dallas man is accused of walking into a Dallas police substation parking lot and damaging 12 police cars with a sledgehammer.

Police arrested 58-year-old Gregory Simpson early Sunday. He's charged him with criminal mischief causing damage of more than $2,500 and less than $30,000.

An arrest affidavit was not posted in court documents as of Monday afternoon and a call to Simpson's attorney was not immediately returned.

The incident sparked criticism from the city's largest police union, the Dallas Police Association, which has called on the city to prioritize funding for security upgrades at police facilities. Association President Michael Mata says that since a June 2015 incident where a man shot the outside of the Dallas Police headquarters from an armored vehicle, city officials have promised the upgrades.

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