City of Fort Worth sees lower rate of gun-related crimes in comparison to previous years, according to Fort Worth PD
Fort Worth, Texas – In the wake of a spate of recent shootings, anxiety is escalating among the citizens and administrators of Fort Worth. The last week bore witness to a couple of incidents, with tragic casualties that have stoked an unease.
Several shooting and crime incident occurred in Fort Worth in past few days
On the eve of Tuesday, two individuals wielding firearms found themselves on the fatal end of bullets fired by a local police officer and an arson investigator. Merely a night prior, a hail of bullets disrupted the peaceful festivities at ComoFest, causing the untimely demise of three people and leaving eleven others in various states of injury.
Despite these worrying episodes, the Fort Worth Police Department maintains that gun-related criminal activity has, in fact, seen a reduction in comparison to preceding years. This claim is based on a quarterly analysis of crime reports spanning the initial months of 2022 and 2023, which illustrates a 2.5% decrease in cases of aggravated assault.
Aggravated Assault Offenses in Fort Worth
| January to March 2022 | 767 offenses |
| January to March 2023 | 748 offenses |
| Percent change | -2.5% |
Source: Fort Worth Police Department
As per the report, aggravated assault is characterized as an unlawful act of aggression executed by one individual towards another, wherein the instigator either employs a weapon or brandishes it menacingly, or the recipient sustains evident grave or severe physical harm.
Murder & Nonnegligent Manslaughter and Negligent Manslaughter Offenses in Fort Worth
| January to March 2022 | 26 offenses |
| January to March 2023 | 18 offenses |
| Percent change | -30.8% |
Source: Fort Worth Police Department
Paradoxically, while instances of aggravated assault may have witnessed a dip, the city has seen an alarming rise of nearly 10% in violations of weapon laws.
Weapon Law Violations in Fort Worth
| January to March 2022 | 263 offenses |
| January to March 2023 | 289 offenses |
| Percent change | +9.9% |
Source: Fort Worth Police Department
The city of Fort Worth, in response, has planned a proactive initiative: the One Second Collaborative with the United Way of Tarrant County is due to be launched this summer, with the objective of mitigating violent crimes.
A significant investment of over a million dollars has been channeled into this endeavor, as disclosed by Councilman Chris Nettles of District 8, Fort Worth.
“We put in over $1,000,000 this year. We’re in the process that they have started having meetings and group sessions to get people on the ground to actually have other organizations to come together and insist on the gun violence,” Chris Nettles said.
Nettles, however, asserts that for the initiative to make a substantial impact, broader community involvement is imperative. He urges parents, neighbors, siblings, and the wider community to play an active role in curbing violent crimes and gun-related offenses in Fort Worth.
Born and bred in the South Side of Fort Worth, Chyna Norman recalls her roots characterized by a daunting prevalence of gun violence and gang activities. Norman’s neighborhood, according to data from the local police department, is classified as a ‘hotspot’. This tag owes itself to a worrying frequency of more than ten shootings reported in a span of just over a month, from March 8, 2021, to April 18, 2021.
Norman expresses concern that the alarming frequency of violence has led to a disturbing complacency among her neighbors and even city authorities. She lamented that such incidents have become so commonplace that they are accepted as part of everyday life in Fort Worth and, as such, often pass without being given the attention they deserve. She maintains that despite community involvement, it will be a formidable challenge and time-consuming endeavor to bring about a substantial reduction in crime rates and gun violence.
“If everybody can just get on one accord with things, that’ll be good. But of course, it will take time. It’s not going to happen overnight. People have certain mindsets, trauma, all those things. So, it will be something that has to be just community-based. Everybody just have to be involved in it and want to make a change.”
Councilman Nettles affirmed the ongoing efforts to quell violence in the city. He detailed some of the actions underway, which include collaborating with MPOs and setting up police towers in identified hotspots.
“We have worked with our MPOs. We also have we’re working on setting up police towers within certain hotspots, spots in the area,” Nettles said. “But you also don’t want to violate the privacy of our residents. And so that’s why it is important that we have those community conversations and our pastors and leaders coming together and say, how can we participate?”
However, the city’s efforts are stymied by a shortfall in personnel, according to Nettles. The Fort Worth Police Department isn’t alone in grappling with this issue – it’s a challenge echoed in many cities across North Texas and indeed, nationwide, where law enforcement agencies face a steep uphill battle against crime owing to staffing shortages.
“Our sergeants know what our hot spots are, and then doing some heavy patrolling around the areas of the time frames that our spots are, and we’re just not able to stop it as fast as we want to stop it,” Nettles added.
Recent Crime and Safety news from Dallas-Fort Worth area:
El Paso shooter Patrick Crusius faces sentencing: Hate crime, weapons charges, and impact on victims
Texas teenager went missing in 2015. He was “located safe” eight years later this past weekend
Dallas Police Department officially switched to online reporting for most non-emergency calls
Early Friday evening fire incident in Arlington apartment complex displaces more than 30 residents
One Comment