Fort Worth has chosen a new police chief to replace Ed Kraus. Here’s who got the job
Neil Noakes is the Fort Worth Police Department’s new chief as of Monday afternoon, following the retirement of former chief Ed Kraus.
Noakes, who has been at the department since 2000 and is a graduate of TCU, said during a press conference on Monday afternoon that he is “the happiest man in Fort Worth.”
“I am absolutely delighted and humbled,” he said. “I am honored. And I can promise you this, all of us may not agree every day but as long as we can agree to keep coming back to the table, as long as we agree to keep collaborating, as long as we work together, I don’t see anything we can’t accomplish together. I will do my best to lead with integrity and to model the behavior we expect from all of our employees.”
Manny Ramirez, president of the Fort Worth Police Officers Association, said members were “very happy” with the decision to promote Noakes. Hiring from within the department shows officers that they can achieve promotions if they work hard, he said.
Like Kraus, Noakes rose through the ranks over a more than 20 year career in Fort Worth, gaining respect from officers and residents alike.
“I think Neil Noakes is in the same mold as Ed Kraus in that he’s a public servant first,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez said he thought Noakes would be a strong advocate for providing officers with the right resources to fight a recent spike in violent crime.
Noakes helped research and develop the city’s VIP Fort Worth program, which employs ex-gang members to stop gang violence before it happens. Noakes acknowledged in August that the city can’t arrest its way out of crime.
In his cover letter, Noakes wrote candidly about how police need to build relationships in diverse communities.
“I believe we need innovative leadership and genuine engagement with the citizens we serve,” he wrote. “Officers must be inspired to reject the notion that societal issues are not our problem. We have a duty to address the generational neglect that has occurred in undeserved communities and become part of the solution.”
Noakes wrote that it’s now the time to break through barriers between police and the people they serve and he chose to step up to lead that effort.
He also wrote about the low morale of being a police officer in the current climate but said that he’s seen the opposite in Fort Worth, where he sees a group of men and women who are committed to being more socially conscious.
“Those are qualities we must continue to cultivate in our department and emphasize as we recruit, hire and train our next generation of leaders,” he wrote.
These same notions are what led Noakes to getting the chief job.
Asked about community trust between the police and the city’s Black residents, Noakes said he understands the reasons for the lack of trust that go back generations.
“What I say is that every member of our diverse communities in the city of Fort Worth matters,” he said. “It’s much harder to have a negative opinion or even hate when you’re close up. It’s easier when you keep people at a distance, so my plan is to bring people in close.”
On addressing the spike in crime that Fort Worth saw in 2020, he said officers will continue to do what they’ve been doing.
“One thing we will not do is enter our neighborhoods as an occupying force to take over,” he said. “We’re going to enter in the spirit of collaboration, working with our citizens and focusing specifically on the areas and the people who have the need, not entire neighborhoods.”
Noakes has also started a non-fatal response team that will address a rise in shootings across the city.
Noakes said that even the best of police departments have room to grow and improve and he knows the FWPD can do better.
“As chief, I want to be someone who will listen,” he said.
As far as cultivating positive relationships between him and his staff, Noakes said he wants to make sure his officers feel appreciated and that they hear from him when they’ve done something right.
“For our officers, I would want them to know that ... I remember what it’s like. They are being seen, they’re being heard and I’d like to come jump in the car with them from time to time,” he said.
Noakes has said that he loves Fort Worth and didn’t want to just be a police chief anywhere, he wanted to be the police chief specifically in Fort Worth.
This story was originally published January 25, 2021 at 1:53 PM.
