FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF)- The Fort Worth Police Officers Association is calling out three Fort Worth council members: Elizabeth Beck, Chris Nettles, and Jared Williams, for voting no to accepting a U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant that would provide an additional armored vehicle to the department’s fleet.
The measure narrowly passed but POA president Manny Ramirez said it should have been a unanimous especially since it will have no cost to the city or tax payers.
“It is a slap in the face to every Fort Worth police officer and their family members for these three council members to put politics above the safety of our police officers. Our dedicated police officers endure incredible stress every day as they place their personal safety at risk to address one of the worst violent crime waves in our history. We owe them the simple respect and support to provide necessary staffing and safety equipment. We are disappointed that these members’ focus is on politics during this public safety crisis, rather than giving the Chief of Police the tools needed to bring down violent crime rates and keep our police officers safe,” said Ramirez.
However, Councilwomen Beck clapped back at the comments and believes Ramirez’ intention for bringing up something that was ultimately approved has a lot to do with his bid for county commissioner.
“I think it’s a political candidate running a campaign as opposed to doing the job of advocating for better working environment for Fort Worth Police Officers,” said Beck. “I have been in this job 9 months and at no point has anyone from the POA reached out for a discussion about the needs of our Fort Worth Officers. Taking care of police officers is something that is important to me and something that I’ve pushed for. For me this just smacks as a political candidate trying to score political points for his campaign,” she said.
Beck also pointed out the reason she did vote no on the measure is because the department already has two pieces of this equipment and feels it’s best to have conversations with the community before rolling out a third so that it doesn’t cause any fear and everyone is on the same page.
Ramirez did shed light on the importance of the equipment by describing the armored vehicle as “a tool used by highly trained and specially equipped police officers when the threat level against themselves or our citizens is so high that they literally expect bullets to be fired at them.” He said the equipment is no different from body armor worn by a patrol officer or a respirator worn by a firefighter and that the vehicles have saved the lives of police officers and citizens across the United States.
“We are grateful for those remaining council members who chose to make the morally and fiscally responsible decision to accept this federal grant. We pledge to continue supporting those who prioritize public safety in our communities,” said Ramirez.
