Longtime Fort Worth police officer accused of lying about leave time is fired
A Fort Worth police officer was fired after he was investigated over the use of his leave time, the police department said in a news release Friday.
While he was placed on restricted duty related to a previous investigation, Stephen Thompson’s supervisors discovered that he had been untruthful regarding his use of leave, according to the release.
After a review of the Internal Affairs investigation, Thompson’s chain of command determined that he violated multiple policies of the Fort Worth Police Department. As a result, Police Chief Neil Noakes terminated Thompson, who was a 20-year veteran of the department.
In the previous investigation for which he was placed on restricted duty, Thompson was charged with driving while intoxicated in August 2022. He was off-duty when his car went off the roadway on Texas 287, the department said.
At the time of his arrest, Thompson was assigned to the patrol bureau. He was reassigned to the fleet division while on restricted duty and was still working there when he was fired.
According to Tarrant County court records, Thompson completed a public safety employee treatment program through the court in the DWI case. He completed all requirements of the program last year and a judge signed an order to remove an ignition interlock device from his car in December.
“The Fort Worth Police Department exists to safeguard the lives and property of those we serve, and is committed to the highest standards of professionalism in doing so,” the department said in Friday’s statement about Thompson’s firing. “In this case, Officer Thompson did not conduct himself in a manner that represents the professionalism of our officers.”
This story was originally published February 29, 2024 at 11:00 PM.
