FORT WORTH, Texas — When the chief of police in the City of Fort Worth presented his crime reduction plan to city leaders even, he admitted it was a tall order for his police department. Especially since Fort Worth is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.
Police Chief Neil Noakes sat down with WFAA's Scoop Jefferson for a one-on-one exclusive interview on how the first three months of 2024 compared to last year for violent crime. Noakes has been on the record with his crime reduction goals.
"The goals we had were rather lofty, like a 10% reduction in violent crime," Chief Neil Noakes said.
Chief Noakes' crime reduction promise includes tackling the most violent crimes like homicides, aggravated assaults, and robberies. He and his team drafted a plan to target high crime areas, increase community engagement and invest in new technology.
"Yes, that was a tall order that I was placing on myself and other departments, but I got 100% confidence in the people that are actually implementing the plan," he said.
Noakes shared that so far, his crime-fighting plan is working according to the city's first-quarter crime report. Especially in a popular entertainment district of the city where residents and visitors flock every weekend in high numbers to have a good time. But the first quarter crime report reflects success citywide for Noakes and his law enforcement team.
"First quarter of this year we had eight homicides. Now, don't get me wrong, eight is not the magic number. Zero is the magic number. But that's a 55.6% decrease over last year," said Chief Neil Noakes, "That's absolutely incredible. Those numbers are not common."
That's because Noakes says just like every major metropolitan city around the country, violent crime numbers have fluctuated over the past few years.
According to Fort Worth Police, in the first quarter of 2022, detectives investigated 25 homicides, that number dropped to 18 in 2023 and in the first quarter of 2024, Fort Worth dropped to only eight homicides. The number of aggravated assaults and robberies dropped too.
"It's my responsibility. Every single bit of it," Chief Neil Noakes said.
Recent gun violence in the West 7th Street area forced the city to reevaluate safety. TCU student Wes Smith was shot and killed outside a bar last year. That proceeded to several other high-profile crimes in the same area. Since then, Fort Worth Police has added more cameras to help reduce crime.
"Using technology maybe to spot somebody who has a gun spot someone who's selling drugs, spot someone who's maybe got the potential to commit a violent crime," said Noakes.
Fort Worth Police reports officers confiscated 115 illegal guns in the West 7th Street area in 2023, thanks to increased technology and security.
Noakes shared that for most law enforcement officers violent crimes involving underaged victims are the toughest to investigate. He encourages parents to take advantage of FWPD Programs for youth like the Police Athletic League also known as the PAL. They offer programs for minors who interact with police officers to help develop good character among youth.
Noakes also talked about one of their newest programs where officers host teenagers at the Fort Worth Training Academy to help them learn more about law enforcement.
While Noakes takes the 2024 first-quarter crime reduction success as a first step, the chief acknowledged that the rest of 2024 will be an even bigger challenge to keep crime down.