Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that Dallas leaders were responsible for AT&T’s decision to relocate its headquarters from downtown Dallas to Plano, blaming what he called the city’s failure to fully fund and staff its police department and “contain a homeless problem” downtown.
Abbott, a Republican, made the remarks while taking questions from reporters at the Fort Worth Police Officers Association headquarters, where he appeared alongside Tarrant County officials and police union leaders — including the Dallas Police Association — to accept their endorsement in his race for a fourth term.
“It’s the responsibility of local leaders to fully fund local law enforcement,” Abbott said in response to a question about voter-approved charter amendments requiring the police department to boost officer staffing. “Because Dallas did not do that, AT&T is now moving out of downtown Dallas.”
City and police spokespeople declined to rebut Abbott directly, instead deferring to the city’s previous statement that AT&T described the relocation as a preference for a suburban campus, not a judgment on public safety or city leadership.
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Abbott’s remarks sought to turn AT&T’s move into a referendum on the city’s public safety approach, as he warned the state would review whether the city’s police funding decisions comply with a 2021 law restricting cuts to police budgets.
It comes after AT&T’s announcement Monday that it will move its global headquarters from Whitacre Tower and the Discovery District downtown to a new campus in Plano — a shift expected to reshape downtown’s street-level economy and potentially depress property values.
A car drives past AT&T headquarters building Whitacre Tower and the AT&T Discovery District in downtown Dallas, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
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In a joint statement with City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Mayor Eric Johnson said the city’s economic strengths are what had drawn AT&T to Dallas in 2008, and its decision to move was the result of company leadership favoring a “large horizontal, suburban-style campus.”
AT&T did not mention public safety in its announcement Monday. An AT&T spokesperson declined to comment on Abbott’s remarks.
Public safety was a focus last year when Downtown Dallas Inc., the nonprofit that helps oversee the central business district’s upkeep, rolled out Safe in the City — a public-private initiative designed to increase police and security presence downtown, improve coordination among agencies, and expand efforts to move people off the streets and into housing.
The area had more than 120 assigned officers as of November — up from about 90 at the start of the year, according to records reviewed by The Dallas Morning News.
Before the launch, a study commissioned by Downtown Dallas Inc. estimated AT&T’s departure could contribute to a roughly 30% drop in downtown property values. The study also raised the possibility of corporate relocations from downtown if public safety concerns were not addressed.
Last year, voters approved charter amendments that set a baseline of 4,000 officers for the Dallas Police Department, intensifying the department’s push to recruit and train new hires. As of November, the force was more than 600 officers short, according to records reviewed by The News.
Sean Pease, president-elect of the Dallas Police Association, said while the department has made strides in recruiting and hiring with the City Council’s backing, staffing shortages will take time to close as departments nationwide struggle to attract and keep officers. Efforts to address homelessness, he added, were underway but are complex, requiring more than just police work.
“With respect to AT&T, the company has stated its move is part of a broader consolidation to a centralized campus, not a reflection of law enforcement conditions in downtown Dallas,” Pease said in a statement.
During the news conference, Abbott signalled his office could look into Dallas’ funding decisions with the police department. He specifically mentioned legislation he signed into law in 2021 that restricts cities’ abilities to reduce police budgets.
“We’re going to be looking into what the city of Dallas has or has not done with regard to funding the police [and] see if they’re in violation of that state law that I signed,” Abbott said.