Fort Worth unveiled new public safety and crime prevention initiatives for the city’s entertainment districts in response to a recent fatal shooting.
As outlined by Mayor Mattie Parker in a press release, ongoing efforts to curb crime and unsafe behavior in high-traffic neighborhoods in Fort Worth will be bolstered by a series of measures aimed at creating both human and environmental deterrents to criminal activity. Such high-traffic neighborhoods include West Seventh, the historic stockyards, Near Southside, and downtown Fort Worth.
Parker said that a bar safety certification program will be created to ensure that industry professionals are well-trained to handle situations that may arise. The Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD), the city, and participating bar owners and business associations will collaborate to see that the program is implemented.
More off-duty police officers with handwands will also be deployed to bars during peak hours to screen people for firearms.
Additionally, a “crime prevention through environmental design” consultant will be hired to assess the city’s entertainment districts and identify how to best deploy security resources, according to the press release.
The city’s administration will also step up its oversight of the entertainment districts by increasing the number of fire and code compliance inspections at bars and other leisure establishments.
Changes to the city’s public safety approach come after Wes Smith, a student at Texas Christian University, was killed in what appeared to be a random shooting on Bledsoe Street earlier this month, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
The alleged assailant, Matthew Purdy, 21, a parolee previously convicted of aggravated robbery, was arrested. He subsequently admitted to shooting Smith.
“This is more than just personal,” Parker said in the aftermath of the shooting, according to WFAA. “Wes’ murder happened not just in a random neighborhood walking down the street, it happened while he was out with buddies having a great time and trying to get home in one of the city’s most accessible entertainment districts.”
Soon thereafter, Parker opened up a dialogue with the city, local business magnates, and FWPD to identify a proactive strategy to shore up safety in the city’s entertainment districts.
The recently announced measures aim to build upon earlier initiatives the FWPD took to increase public safety this past year.
For instance, last September, the FWPD shifted to “interdiction-style enforcement” in entertainment areas like West Seventh and downtown early in the evening to proactively nip undesired behaviors in the bud. FWPD’s approach has been credited with the seizure of 108 firearms, the recovery of 19 occupied stolen vehicles, and the clearing of 36 felony warrants, according to a press release from the city.
Compared to Downtown Dallas, Fort Worth’s city center sees drastically lower crime rates, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. For instance, residents and commuters in Dallas’ central business district were exposed to four times more assaults than those in downtown Fort Worth, with 62 occurring in the former compared to 14 in the latter.
Although both cities are grappling with police shortages, Fort Worth’s downtown area reportedly has a dedicated neighborhood unit working alongside private security guards. Fort Worth has also placed Flock cameras in high-traffic areas to scan license plates to track down and apprehend potential suspects, a move FWPD Police Chief Neil Noakes hailed as “a game-changer.”