HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 183 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 22-183
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 6, 2022
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SUBJECT: PRIORITY OF RESPONSES TO 9-1-1 CALLS ABOUT THREATS OF
rrn VIOLENCE AT CHILDCARE FACILITIES AND ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS
The purpose of this report is to provide information about the Fort Worth Police Department's
current policy for 9-1-1 call prioritization and new procedures for responding to violent threats at
childcare facities and elementary schools.
Prioritization of Calls
Calls are handled in the order of immediate threat and they are based on the specific event type,
rather than on call location. Incoming calls to the Police Communications Division that result in a
police response receive one of six priorities and are dispatched in the following order.
• Priority One — Emergency Response: The nature or circumstances surrounding the call
pose an immediate threat to human life.
• Priority Two — Immediate Response: Calls which do not meet the criteria for Priority One,
but by their nature require an immediate response. Priority Two SS calls are Priority Two
calls to which fire personnel and/or medical personnel respond.
• Priority Three — Unit Response when Available: Calls which do not meet the criteria for
Priority One or Priority Two and any delay sustained is unlikely to create an adverse effect.
• Priority Four — No Police Response: Calls that do not necessitate the physical response of
a police officer to the scene.
• Priority Five — City Alarm Call at Fire Department Facility: Possibly subject to a dispatched
call determined by continued alarms or information gained from City cameras.
• Priority Six — No Physical Police Response: Calls that do not require an officer to make the
scene but do require an officer to make a report.
Call Response to Childcare Facilities and Elementary Schools
The information received from the person who calls for assistance is what drives the designation
of priority on a call. There are no designated locations in the City that automatically generate an
immediate Priority One response. There are certain call types, however, that will generate a
Priority Response: Commercial Hold Up Alarms, Residential Panic Alarms, Active Shooter,
Persons Shot, Robbery in Progress, Sexual Assault in Progress, and other calls where human life
is in jeopardy.
One solution for daycare facilities to increase the priority of response is to obtain a push-button
panic alarm. Those calls coming in from an alarm company would be the same as a Residential
Panic Alarm. They would be defined as a Commercial Panic Alarm. Such calls would also fall
under an automatic Priority One response from the Fort Worth Police Department. Additionally,
we would attempt to call the location to gather details to assist responding officers.
New Procedures
In order to improve our response to facilities that have high concentrations of children, the Police
Department has instituted the following new procedures:
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 22-183
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 6, 2022
Page 2 of 2
i
i7 Y
SUBJECT: PRIORITY OF RESPONSES TO 9-1-1 CALLS ABOUT THREATS OF
rrn VIOLENCE AT CHILDCARE FACILITIES AND ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS
• Placing all daycare facilty addresses in our dispatch system with information on whom to
call if there is a possible dangerous incident in the area.
• Adding information in our CAD system that could connect the daycare facility address to
the nearest school with a resource officer. This would enable dispatchers to notify these
officers of incidents near them involving a daycare facility.
• Reinforcing the Standard Operation Procedures on reassigning units off of mark-outs to
respond to Priority One and Two calls that are holding.
• Notifying sergeants on a regular basis (every five minutes) of Priority Two calls holding.
• Instructing dispatchers to dispatch any unit on their channel, regardless of assignment,
NPO's, SSI, sergeants, lieutenants, commanders, etc. if needed for overdue Priority Two
calls that involve a disturbance.
Potential Future Resources
As a part of the comprehensive school safety package signed by Governor Abbott, the
Governor's Office has authorized over $17 million in funding toward grants for schools to
purchase and install panic alarm systems and programs. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is
looking at proposals that could require schools to install silent panic alarms and automatic locks
on exterior doors. If the proposed safety rules are approved by the TEA, those measures could
start in 2023.
If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact Captain Robin Krouse at
817-392-3260 or email Robin.Krouse@fortworthtexas.gov.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS