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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 10297 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10297 August 13, 2019 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 1 of 5 SUBJECT: FORT WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY PROGRAMS This Informal Report is in response to a City Council request for information regarding various initiatives of the Fort Worth Police Department that support Community Policing efforts and programs to improve Community Relations. A brief overview of some of these are: Fort Worth Police Department Community Programs- Code Blue the overall terminology used to encompass all the volunteer programs of the Fort Worth Police Department. Citizens on Patrol (COP) -citizen volunteers that patrol in vehicles, on foot, or bicycle to watch for suspicious activity and crime and report this to the police department. Clergy and Police Alliance (CAPA) - a non-denominational program designed to allow the opportunity for ministers to support police and citizens through the use of their social support, intervention, and counselling skills. Ministers Against Crime (MAC) - a community based program enlisting ministerial volunteers from city neighborhoods in an effort to build communication and help address crime problems in the community. Citizen Police Academy (CPA) an eight week class designed to provide an overview of police department operations and provide basic understanding of how those services are delivered. Spanish Citizens Police Academy an eight week class with the same goal as the Citizen Police Academy that is offered in a Spanish language presentation. FWPD Teen Academy an eight week program for participants grade 8-12 that presents basic information about the police department and its operation. Presented by the School Resource Unit. Fort Worth Police Department HQ and Training Academy- Police Athletic League - a youth program sponsored by the FWPD involving interaction with youth athletic activities including basketball, flag football, boxing, and cheerleading. Shaping Careers with Officers and Relating Experiences (SCORE) - teamed up with 32 former NFL players to provide social justice workshops to varsity high school teams to assist student athletes to reach their full academic potential, address social justice issues and build trust with local law enforcement agencies. Code Blue After Dark Partnership with PAL and other organizations aimed at helping build positive relationships and trust between the Fort Worth Police Department and the youth through basketball camps andleagues. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10297 August 13, 2019 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 2 of 5 SUBJECT: FORT WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Explorer Program focused upon high school age youth with an emphasis upon learning skills and exploring knowledge oriented towards public service careers. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers that are educated and trained about disaster preparedness and related basic skills in order to support first responders in large scale events and disasters. FWPD Training Academy (police officer based classes)- Mental Health Police Officer a forty hour class designed to provide additional skills and basic certification to properly identify and appropriately deal with individuals that may be suffering from mental health related issues. Interactive Approaches to Policing- teaches a problem oriented policing approach that draws on a variety of approaches to address crime and disorder issues, including partnerships between police and community groups and other organizations. Interacting with Drivers who are Deaf/ Hard of Hearing an awareness class that teaches police officers about the types of hearing impairment and ways to more effectively interact with that segment of the population. Autism and Law Enforcement Officer response- teaches police officers how to recognize and appropriately approach and interact with individuals with Autism and similar conditions. Crisis Intervention training- (beyond BPOC)- a skill building course designed to continue basic peace officer training and offer a wider range of options in dealing with individuals in high stress and crises situations regularly encountered in police work. Cultural Diversity- designed to develop a greater awareness for officers of various cultural norms and attitudes in order to better understand the dynamics involved and provide better police service. Homelessness Training Course- teaches some of the underlying sociology and concepts of the homeless population and how officers can address and assist these persons. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10297 August 13, 2019 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 3 of 5 SUBJECT: FORT WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY PROGRAMS FWPD Training Academy (community based classes)- Active Shooter Response- primarily geared towards school teachers and staff. Consists of the above CRASE presentation, followed by a Stop-the-Bleed class, and then an active shooter scenario practical exercise. Citizen Use-of-Force Awareness classes classroom and scenario based training taught quarterly exploring the aspects and considerations involved in UOF encounters. This class was also instructed in a mobile format to a North Fort Worth homeowners association. Police Use-of-Force and Virtra simulator scenario-based training conducted in a 300 degree computer generated video simulator. This training is to show how we train police officers in UOF and to discuss the dynamics of a violent encounter which is something that is not explained when they see a clip of an officer- involved shooting in the news. The participants are then placed in a scenario using the simulator so they can see how quickly a situation can turn deadly and how quickly an officer has to make a decision to use force and why. Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (C.R.A.S.E.)-training sessions for community members, businesses, churches and civic groups educating them about the dynamics of an active shooter event and some simple and effective strategies to better prepare them to survive such an incident by following the Avoid, Deny, Defend model. De-escalation classes a two hour class providing an overview of some of the De-escalation methods available to law enforcement officers in field situations that has been provided to community interest groups and also to City Council and legal department members. Fort Worth Police Department Community Initiatives- Neighborhood Police Officers (NPO Program) FWPD officers that receive additional training in focusing upon addressing community problems in greater depth. An NPO is assigned to each patrol beat business owners, and neighborhood associations and exchange information. Crime Prevention Specialists- a Crime Prevention Specialist is assigned to each geographic patrol division. They are non-sworn employees that meet with citizens and provide administrative support for Neighborhood Crime Watch groups. They can perform home and commercial security assessments. They also organize and conduct divisional crime fairs and events including Child ID, Operation ID, and National Night Out. HELP Fort Worth stands for Housing, Education, Labor, and Protection. A recently established non- profit to provide services and utilize police-related connections to identify locations and specific areas that may need assistance and available services. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10297 August 13, 2019 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 4 of 5 SUBJECT: FORT WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Beyond the Badge a recently initiated project to bring officers into the community to help with life, parenting, and social skills. Also partners with clergy and community leaders in order to better bring needed resources to bear within the community to solve problems. benefits Police Athletic League, Read-2-Win, and other identified non-profit community based initiatives. Pathways to Justice Internship program under a U.S. dept. of Justice Grant, provides high school age youth an opportunity to perform summer work in a paid status while partnered with police department functions. Read 2 Win- a literacy program designed to help first grade readers with learning potential by partnering with first responders as mentors who read with the students once a week during the school year. Operation Progress Fort Worth - representative from FWPD and from TCU traveled to Los Angeles to learn about a community outreach / mentoring program started by LAPD called Operation Progress. Rivertree Academy - Officers work with staff to mentor students and build positive relationships in the Como community. Operation Progress has agreed to partner with Rivertree Academy as well. All Pro-Dad- is a program started by NFL coach Tony Dungy to strengthen families and help provide positive adult male role models for children. Community Clean-up events- the Chief, Deputy Chiefs, Commanders, NPO's, CERT, Code Blue volunteers, Code Enforcement, and Parks & Recreation come together in identified areas or locations to cleanup accumulated trash and rubbish followed by a hot dog / hamburger cookout. So far these have been held in West and Central Division, with another planned for East division. National Night Out against Crime- annual event where neighborhood associations and citizen groups are encouraged to have get-togethers and cookouts to show support for neighborhood based anti-crime efforts. Tarrant County Food Bank food drive- annual event that asks for food and monetary donations in support of the City of Fort Worth donating to the area food bank food drive. Community Assistance Network (CAN) - a North Division initiative partnering with community, religious, and business leaders to try to provide resources to citizens focused upon preventing and reducing the number of suicide events. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10297 August 13, 2019 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 5 of 5 SUBJECT: FORT WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY PROGRAMS CCPD-Partners with a Shared Vision- After School Program - Four independent school districts receive funding in support of after school programs including academic activities, sports, recreation, and community service. Safe Haven Youth Program A prevention program operated by the United Community Center (UCC) and Boys and Girls Club of Tarrant County that provides a safe environment for after school programming for at-risk children and youth, addressing factors that lead to at-risk behavior at home and school. - Program develops truces between rival gangs by working directly with gang leaders to assist with conflict resolution, provide information and referral services, and crisis intervention to diffuse potentially troubling or violent situations. Family Justice Center (One Safe Place) A program that brings together a multi-agency task force under one roof, to provide coordinated services to victims of domestic violence and their children in a welcoming, victim-focused, and survivor-driven environment. Crime Prevention Agency Partnership (Safe City Commission) - The CCPD provides support for the Safe City Commission Advocacy Program and the Crime Stopper Call Center. Community-Based Programs Agencies submit proposals for financial support for crime prevention or intervention programs of local, registered non-profit agencies by address at least one of CCPD goals while incorporating a literacy component and or address the prevention or intervention of youth and/or family violence. Crimes against Children Unit (CACU) Partnership with Alliance for Children - The Crimes against Children Unit (CACU) of the FWPD is co-located at the Fort Worth Alliance for Children Center. Please contact Captain JC. Stockton at (817) 392-4181, if you have any questions. David Cooke City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS