FORT WORTH — On any Friday night in downtown Cowtown, there is plenty to see — from a band of friendly bicyclists to a public marriage proposal.
And as you watch it all unfold, you may notice there are others watching, too.
"Depending on the time and day of the week, there can be anywhere from four to eight of us," said Fort Worth police Sgt. Lorne Tracy.
The department's bike patrols keep tabs on downtown... but they're not alone. At any given time, there may actually be more private uniformed security guards patrolling these streets than bike cops, Tracy said.
"There's probably anywhere from six to 12, depending on the time of day," he explained.
Tracy said XTO Energy and City Center Security — which patrols Bass family properties, including Sundance Square — monitor their properties and activities on the street level. They dress in dark uniforms and ride bikes or Segways. Tracy said some officers carry Tasers, even handguns these days.
And, it turns out, they train with Fort Worth police and help each other out.
In fact, just last month, bystanders saw that very thing happen. Police say a naked man was vandalizing cars near the movie theater downtown. But after Tasing the man twice, police said he still wouldn't comply. So police said they asked a City Center security guard — who was also there — to deploy his Taser, too.
He did, and police say eventually the suspect was subdued, arrested and charged.
Andy Taft, who runs Downtown Fort Worth Inc., said the decades-old partnership between public and private is an advantage.
"With this many eyes and ears on the street, people who are up to no good feel very uncomfortable," he said.
Fort Worth police say if the security guards weren't around, they'd be forced to hire more officers to handle the volume.
"We'd have to almost double or triple our size," of their bike police squad, Tracy said.
"There is no question the people that own the high rises downtown, that have their people out on the streets, are saving the taxpayers a lot of money," Taft added.
That's not to say security guards can do everything cops can do. Police say they're the only ones with the authority to arrest and enforce laws. And Fort Worth police spokeswoman Cpl. Tracey Knight said security guards know that.
"Basically, what they do is wait and make themselves a good witness, and they wait for us to show up," she said.
To separate things further, Fort Worth bike cops recently changed the color of their shirts to blue. Now, there's no mistaking who's a cop and who's not.
Neither XTO Energy nor City Center Security would comment for this story, but City Center's website says its guards must pass extensive examinations before being hired. We also know the entire private security industry is regulated by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
"I'm not looking over my shoulder; I'm not clutching my purse," said downtown Fort Worth visitor Laura Koenigs.
And that feeling of security is what everyone wants.
