Gov. Greg Abbott is placing blame on Dallas city leadership following AT&T’s decision to move its global headquarters from downtown Dallas to Plano.

Speaking at a law enforcement event in Fort Worth, Abbott criticized Dallas officials for what he described as failures in public safety and homelessness response.

“Dallas is bearing the brunt or burden of their failure to have fully staffed law enforcement, their failure to contain a homeless problem,” Abbott said.

Abbott’s comments came one day after AT&T announced plans to relocate its headquarters to 54 acres of land in Plano, a move the company said would allow it to “cost-effectively consolidate” three North Texas locations.

“After nearly a year of consideration, deliberation and planning, we have made the decision to invest in our employee experience and construct a new global headquarters at 5400 Legacy Drive in Plano, Texas,” AT&T CEO John Stankey wrote in a message to employees Monday morning.

Abbott responded after a reporter asked how the state could help cities like Dallas that are struggling to meet voter-mandated minimum staffing levels for police officers.

“Local leaders, it’s their responsibility to ensure that homeless people are not endangering their citizens. It is the responsibility of local leaders to fully fund their local law enforcement. Because Dallas did not do that, AT&T is now moving out of downtown Dallas,” Abbott said.

Last month, the Dallas City Council approved an additional $10 million for homelessness response efforts.

When contacted for comment, Dallas police said they did not have a statement. In recent months, the department has said crime in downtown Dallas is declining while the number of officers assigned to the area has increased.

The city of Dallas pointed to a statement released Monday from Mayor Eric Johnson and City Manager Kim Tolbert, who struck a more optimistic tone following AT&T’s announcement.

“Business leaders have praised our successes in our urban core, which include expanded police presence and our remarkable success relocating people experiencing homelessness,” Tolbert said.

“As we worked to retain AT&T, it became clear that its current leaders preferred a large horizontal, suburban-style campus rather than the skyscrapers that define our city center… this departure ultimately will open the door for us to explore new possibilities,” Johnson said.

Gov. Greg Abbott is placing blame on Dallas city leadership following AT&T’s decision to move its global headquarters from downtown Dallas to Plano.

Speaking at a law enforcement event in Fort Worth, Abbott criticized Dallas officials for what he described as failures in public safety and homelessness response.

“Dallas is bearing the brunt or burden of their failure to have fully staffed law enforcement, their failure to contain a homeless problem,” Abbott said.

Abbott’s comments came one day after AT&T announced plans to relocate its headquarters to 54 acres of land in Plano, a move the company said would allow it to “cost-effectively consolidate” three North Texas locations.

“After nearly a year of consideration, deliberation and planning, we have made the decision to invest in our employee experience and construct a new global headquarters at 5400 Legacy Drive in Plano, Texas,” AT&T CEO John Stankey wrote in a message to employees Monday morning.

Abbott responded after a reporter asked how the state could help cities like Dallas that are struggling to meet voter-mandated minimum staffing levels for police officers.

“Local leaders, it’s their responsibility to ensure that homeless people are not endangering their citizens. It is the responsibility of local leaders to fully fund their local law enforcement. Because Dallas did not do that, AT&T is now moving out of downtown Dallas,” Abbott said.

Last month, the Dallas City Council approved an additional $10 million for homelessness response efforts.

When contacted for comment, Dallas police said they did not have a statement. In recent months, the department has said crime in downtown Dallas is declining while the number of officers assigned to the area has increased.

The city of Dallas pointed to a statement released Monday from Mayor Eric Johnson and City Manager Kim Tolbert, who struck a more optimistic tone following AT&T’s announcement.

“Business leaders have praised our successes in our urban core, which include expanded police presence and our remarkable success relocating people experiencing homelessness,” Tolbert said.

“As we worked to retain AT&T, it became clear that its current leaders preferred a large horizontal, suburban-style campus rather than the skyscrapers that define our city center… this departure ultimately will open the door for us to explore new possibilities,” Johnson said.