Gun violence remains the biggest threat to public safety in Fort Worth, police chief says
The number of people in Fort Worth injured or killed by gunfire in 2021 was more than double from 10 years ago, Police Chief Neil Noakes told City Council members Tuesday.
Last year, at least 388 people were injured or killed in the city, compared with 177 injuries or deaths in 2011, the chief said. The majority of people injured or killed, and those arrested, were residents from communities of color, with Black residents accounting for two-thirds of those impacted by gun violence.
“I support the Second Amendment, but there are people in our neighborhoods who do not need to have these weapons,” Noakes said while showing council members an image of high-powered rifles confiscated by FWPD.
Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens asked Noakes whether a proliferation of firearms combined with the state no longer requiring permits to carry handguns contributed to the rise in shootings. Noakes said he didn’t have enough information to know for certain.
The key to stemming the tide is professional policing and community partnerships, Noakes said. He talked about ways his department has partnered with community groups to offer mentoring to young adults and to build trust.
“We can’t arrest our way out of crime,” Noakes said.
District 6 council member Jared Williams, who has been active in trying to combat gun violence among young adults in his district, said the department’s No. 1 priority needs to be finding where they are getting access to guns.
“I’ve been to one too many funerals of young people who ended up making the wrong decisions,” Williams said.
He also said the city can do more to address what he called a crisis of hope among young people. He pointed to efforts by the city to make it easier for children to access community centers and said more can be done to reach out to young adults and teens.
“There are brilliant minds in this community and this city, and we need to find ways to create opportunities for these teens,” Williams said.
District 8 council member Chris Nettles pressed Noakes for more specifics about the department’s efforts to reach out to the community. He said the chief’s presentation was heavy on statistics about violent crime but too broad on the solutions.
If the problem is helping young Black men address gun violence, then the city needs to drill down on that problem, Nettles said.
Noakes said his department is finalizing an agreement with TCU to study the Police Department’s efforts to work with community groups and reduce violent crime. He told the council he would share more information once that study was complete.
This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 5:06 PM.
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