FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF)- Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes updated the Fort Worth City Council on the dperamt’s effort to reduce violent crime.
Noakes said violent crime is the number one issue for the Fort Worth Police Department and over the last year they have seen a great increase in violent crime.
Noakes spoke about the success of the “Fort Worth Safe” initiative the department launched in the Summer, but also said they are taking note on how Dallas reduced violent crime and hopes to mirror that success.
“We need solid, professional, precise, data-driven, intelligence-led policing, We need officers who go out proactively in communities and address the violent actors that are in communities,” said Noakes.
Last year, Fort Worth police investigated 388 shootings with nearly 100 of them fatal. Almost 70% of victims did not know the suspect.
“Here’s where the real disparity jumps out: 62% are African American,” Noakes said. “A population that makes up roughly 19% of our city accounts for 62% of our victims of gun violence.”
But the police chief noted while the population is climbing, the overall crime rate is actually decreasing.
Since the department launched it’s Fort Worth Safe Initiative in May, officers recovered 54 guns and 55 stolen vehicles and made more than 670 arrests.
“Violence prevention starts at home. Violence prevention begins with families. We are doing what we can to help pour into families and invest in communities and like I have said before, We’ll never arrest our way out of crime. Please understand we will be in our neighborhoods, and we will be arresting violent actors in our neighborhoods,” Noakes said. “But we’re going to be working more with violence intervention and prevention groups.”
Noakes says with advanced technology, the department was able to closely monitor real time crime trends and data. After identifying trends, outreach teams went into hot spot communities to establish relationships with residents and businesses and provide resources to make communities safer.
Here is some information regarding the efforts from Fort Worth Safe Initiative:
-An intelligence-led approach utilizing all technology resources and Real-Time Crime Center to help officers be flexible and able to quickly adapt to any given situation.
-Officers working this initiative 7 days a week with the hours of the operating being dependent upon the criminal activity that is occurring.
-Continually evaluating crime trends and data each day of the detail. The intelligence we analyze will assist us in concentrating our efforts on the sources of the violent criminal activity.
-The Gang Unit focusing on known gang members and those with prior gun arrests.
-Enhancing enforcement on game rooms in the selected crime locations.
-Criminal Tracking Unit and Fugitive Unit focusing on arresting violent offenders as soon as our investigators obtain arrest warrants in order to get those offenders off the streets more quickly.
-The Directed Response Units will respond to Flock activations as well as violent offenses observed on surveillance cameras.
The Community aspect will include:
-A day-time rotational list of Neighborhood Police Officers (NPOs) from around the city to assist with community policing efforts. These NPOs will be talking with the business owners and citizens, as well as interacting with young people, to make them aware of this effort to keep Fort Worth Safe.
-End of school year plans to have School Resource Officers work alongside our NPOs in selected areas to enhance our community policing efforts and safety around schools.
-Soliciting community input to address concerns with violent crime and transparency about operations occurring in their community.
-Utilizing a communications plan to share our efforts with the community through the Public Information Office on #FortWorthSafe results.
-Supporting community capacity development by connecting residents with resources that will enhance the safety, wellness and resiliency of their community.
