By Bill Zeeble, KERA reporter
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-662630.mp3
Dallas, TX – Ad ambience: holiday music
Bill Zeeble: The ad starts out happy, then turns harsh.
Ad: gunshot
Zeeble: Dallas city council member Dr. Elba Garcia helped get it the on-air during the day this year, instead of in the middle of the night, like other public service ads.
Elba Garcia : A lot of people think it's fun, especially now at holidays. It's against the law. This is not a celebration. This can be lethal to other people. It can change lives.
Zeeble: Dallas police chief David Kunkle says officers will be cracking down. Still, he also had some good news.
Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle: Violent crime is down to the lowest level on a per capita basis since the 1960s. But we still have an awful lot of work to do.
Zeeble: Police urge residents to report random gunfire tonight, & anytime. The department expects18-hundred reports of random shots in the first half hour of the new year. Anyone caught shooting into the air faces up to a year in jail and a 4 thousand dollar fine. Bill Zeeble, KERA news.