A two-year-old police unit is rethinking how shooting cases are investigated in Fort Worth, and the results are impressive.
Police Chief Neil
Noakes proposed the Gun Violence Unit in February 2021, and the unit was
created with six detectives. That year, the unit responded to 262
calls.
Objectives of the Gun Violence Unit:
- Investigate nonfatal shootings in the same way homicides are investigated.
- Take weapons used in criminal offenses off the streets.
- Arrest violent offenders who commit offenses with weapons.
The unit’s goal is
to identify and apprehend offenders, but also to understand how and why
these shootings occur. All shooting cases are thoroughly investigated,
even if the victim is not willing to cooperate or chooses not to pursue
criminal charges.
What they’re saying: “Understanding
why (shootings) are occurring is critical to preventing future
shootings,” said FWPD Deputy Chief Mark Barthen. “Data gathered from
shootings is analyzed for patterns or trends and shared with our
specialized units, who can respond by conducting surveillance and
operations specific to these needs.”
By the numbers: In
2023, the unit has 10 detectives and has responded to 345 calls so far.
(That’s four times the number of callouts as homicide cases.) There
have been 236 weapons recovered, and 446 arrest warrants written for
violent offenders.
Clearance rates have jumped 60% to 68% from the previous average of 16% when these types of cases were handled by general assignment detectives.
Data indicate that
Stop Six, Las Vegas Trail and the southeast part of Fort Worth
consistently have more nonfatal shooting incidents. These areas tend to
have:
- Higher poverty levels.
- Lower average economic status.
- More narcotics issues.
- Gang concerns.
