In first 4 years, Fort Worth police chief has faced crisis after crisis

By Bill Hanna

billhanna@star-telegram.com

FORT WORTH -- Police Chief Jeff Halstead's tenure in Fort Worth was practically born in crisis, so it's little surprise that rather than quietly celebrating his fourth anniversary last week, he was cleaning up after yet another headline-grabbing incident.

On Dec. 1, the 49-year-old chief was rocked by the news that his right-hand man, Maj. Paul Henderson, was the latest officer arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.

Halstead is used to bad news involving alcohol. Since 2008, 18 officers have been arrested on suspicion of DWI. One is serving a 20-year sentence for killing a young mother after a night of drinking with colleagues.

Still, Henderson's arrest hit hard.

The 19-year Fort Worth veteran had become an invaluable partner to the new chief atop a department buffeted by turmoil.

"It did hurt and it still hurts because in this profession, regardless of your rank, regardless of your assignment, you develop relationships that are some of the strongest bonds you can have in any profession," Halstead said Friday. "Paul and I had a very strong professional relationship.

"Literally, he knew what I needed, and he knew what I was going to be required to do and he already forecasted all of that and had it ready to me a day before I had a meeting at City Hall or if I was getting ready to go to pre-council on an issue."

Four days after Henderson's arrest in Parker County, Halstead announced that he had stripped his chief-of-staff title, demoted him to captain and cut his six-figure salary.

Halstead has faced one controversy after another since taking over for Police Chief Ralph Mendoza after 20 years with the Phoenix Police Department.

Less than seven months after he was hired came the ill-fated bar check at the Rainbow Lounge.

Fort Worth has also been in the news for the fatal DWI crash and for a Taser death, among other things. Halstead himself drew ridicule from some quarters in May 2010 when he extolled the virtues of hormone replacement therapy in a wellness seminar for officers.

But his supporters, including City Council members and many community leaders, say the chief has reacted swiftly and publicly to crises, often negotiating a narrow path between supporting his officers and understanding the views of residents.

His response, rather than the crises themselves, is what defines his leadership, many say.

"He is a person who actually listens," said Jon Nelson, president of Fairness Fort Worth, which formed after the Rainbow Lounge incident.

"He tries to understand someone's point of view. I think he makes an effort to act accordingly. This recent unfortunate event with Maj. Henderson -- I know him and he's a good person -- I think the chief had to take the action he did, and he did it thoughtfully and swiftly."

Not everyone is enamored of the chief.

The Rev. Kyev Tatum, a local civil-rights leader, said Halstead's department has made little progress in dealing with the minority community since the fatal shooting of a drug suspect in Stop Six.

"The only inroads he has made is with the gay community, and he has done something that has not been done in any other city in the South," Tatum said.

"But we have not seen the same thing. We still have the same evil, overzealous officers. We still have young black boys getting kicked out of school and placed into the hands of police officers. They're criminalizing poverty."

On Saturday, Halstead marked his fourth year in Fort Worth. The crime rate is down, although crimes against persons are up.

He enjoys a good working relationship with the police association, politicians and most community leaders.

And he has faith that his policies, including an alcohol awareness program for employees, are working despite the frustrations.

DWI and public intoxication arrests of police officers, he said, have dropped 75 percent over the past year.

"It is working and, yes, I'm still frustrated because these employees do not have any intention of making these decisions," Halstead said.

His next step is encouraging officers to make an "internal pact" with colleagues or supervisors that they will not drink and drive.

"I'm trying to become more creative in addressing this issue because the training is working, accountability is working, because they know where I stand on these issues," Halstead said. "Now I need to get it internally with every employee that they have given their word."

Mayor Betsy Price, who learned of Henderson's arrest a few hours later from Halstead, remains an admirer.

"He's not afraid to go out and face the public, and that's something I appreciate," she said.

The ill-fated bar check

Halstead had only a short honeymoon in Fort Worth before he was called on to deal with the fallout from the Rainbow Lounge bar check in June 2009.

One man was seriously injured when Fort Worth police officers and state agents conducted a late-night check at the newly opened gay bar.

Outcries of police brutality and insensitivity quickly followed, gay-rights advocates held protests, and Halstead found himself in the middle of a national news story that wasn't going away.

Still getting used to his new home, Halstead realized that this could be a defining moment for his young administration.

"I actually turned to my wife and said, 'Don't unpack my boxes too fast. I may need them. We may be moving back home,'" he said. "I knew the seriousness of the incident."

Halstead was criticized for his department's initial handling of the situation, which included a statement that bar patrons had groped officers.

But the chief quickly turned the incident into a positive for the city.

"The chief was put in a situation where he had to walk a tightrope between his troops and his community," said Sgt. Stephen Hall, president of the Fort Worth Police Officers Association. "He had to find a way where both groups could work together and solve any issues of trust and distrust.

"I think the number of people who could do that sincerely and empathetically might be limited. He was very in tune to everyone's emotions. He went above and beyond to reach out to the community."

Although Halstead drew criticism for handing out only short suspensions to the officers involved, he was lauded for creating a liaison to the gay community and implementing diversity and multicultural training.

"I think it's important to realize that several things happened during his administration, the Rainbow Lounge being one of them, and his reaction to them has been fairly uniform," Nelson said.

Trouble in Stop Six

Not long after, Halstead faced a new challenge to his leadership.

In September 2011, a number of Fort Worth church leaders, fed up with what they described as "bullying, intimidating and threatening" of minorities by Fort Worth officers, called on the chief to resign immediately.

A year later, Tatum, president of the Tarrant County chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said he has seen little progress.

"It has not changed," Tatum said.

"It's not because he's a bad guy. He's a good guy in a bad situation, but his hands are tied politically."

The call for Halstead's resignation came shortly before a Tarrant County grand jury declined to indict Fort Worth officer J. Romer in the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Charal "RaRa" Thomas.

Romer told investigators that the Feb. 28, 2011, shooting happened because he feared for his life as Thomas drove away with Romer's hand trapped in the driver's side window.

Thomas was black; Romer is white. Protests followed, and some accused police of a pattern of excessive force against minorities.

In April 2009, a mentally ill black man died after being shocked for several seconds with a Taser.

The death of Michael Jacobs was ruled a homicide, but a Tarrant County grand jury declined to indict officer Stephanie Phillips.

After the Stop Six shooting, Halstead created a Community Advisory Board to reach out to minorities.

But Tatum, who said he has not regularly attended the meetings, remains unhappy.

Halstead said, "There are some people in the community that do not want a strong relationship with me because their position of power is based on the ability to go against the Police Department or the chief, such as Rev. Tatum."

Halstead said he regularly exchanges e-mails with the minister.

"I can only build relationships with those who want to build a relationship with me," Halstead said.

Councilman Frank Moss, who has questioned the chief about racial-profiling data in Moss' district, said he is satisfied with the chief.

"I think he has done well," Moss said. "He has worked on some issues that existed in my district, making sure the police assigned were sensitive and respectful of the citizens. From the standpoint of racial profiling, he was able to look at that."

It "was not a matter of racial profiling but that many of the people that were stopped had warrants," Moss said.

An attack on crime

Halstead has been busy creating new crime-fighting programs and policies since his arrival.

He reorganized his department to increase supervision of the patrol units. He added specialized training in a variety of areas, including the use of force and how to deal with mentally ill people. He created an information management division that tracks crime statistics to aid in prevention strategies.

Halstead lobbied for a new police academy that's scheduled to open in about two years. And he pushed Taser International to create a Taser that would shut off automatically after five seconds.

This year, 530 of those Tasers were distributed to officers, said Sgt. Pedro Criado, a police spokesman.

The effects on the crime rate have been mixed. In 2011, overall crime dropped 4 percent in Fort Worth, but crimes against persons increased 2.7 percent.

Those trends have continued. In the second quarter of 2012, overall crime dropped 9.7 percent compared with the same period in 2011, while crimes against persons rose 1.8 percent.

Halstead said he is working on a national committee to update the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics to provide a more accurate picture of crime in each community.

He said that most residents have difficulty understanding crime statistics and that the numbers don't always provide a complete picture.

He eventually hopes to create a sixth police division for fast-growing far north Fort Worth but said that is at least two years away because of budget constraints.

Fernando Florez, president of the United Hispanic Council and a local LULAC chapter, said Halstead has "adapted to the times" and shown a willingness to listen to concerns about adding more Latino officers.

"He has a very tough job," Florez said. "I think he inherited many of the problems he has faced. You're always going to have complaints, but you have to look at the big picture and, from that perspective, I think he's done a good job."

Despite the troubles, Halstead said, he hopes to stay in Fort Worth for at least a decade. He made that clear in a letter sent to the entire department last week after Henderson's arrest.

"This weekend, I will celebrate the greatest 4 years of my 24+ year career in law enforcement, serving as your Chief of Police," Halstead wrote.

"I know you have supported me and our department as we addressed many negative headlines, budgetary reductions, staffing issues, and complete departmental reorganizations.

"Today, we are more efficient than ever and thanks to all of you ... we are truly providing world-class police service and reducing violent crime!"

He reiterated the thought during Friday's interview with the Star-Telegram.

"I would love to stay here," he said. "It is the most fun job I've had in my entire life."

Bill Hanna, 817-390-7698

Twitter: @fwhanna

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