With some exceptions, the Fort Worth Police Department is to be trusted. They’ve maintained composure during protests and have not majorly betrayed public trust since one former officer fatally shot 28-year-old Black woman Atatiana Jefferson in her mother’s home in 2019. We did not have a huge problem with several Fort Worth cops carrying military assault-style weapons around Main Street Arts Festival. Mass shooters should be met with the same or more lethal force. It’s the militarization of police in general, like Fort Worth PD, that needs severely checked.
A large part of effective policing involves trust between peace officers and the citizenry. For many of us, seeing them brandishing weapons of war in everyday settings (as opposed to large gatherings) does not make us feel safer. It actually has the opposite effect. For many of us, especially U.S. immigrants today, coming across cops with massive firearms in everyday settings may make us feel targeted and as if our space is being occupied, which means we are much less likely to cooperate if problems arise and will probably run in a fraught situation. Research by Mapping Police Violence and others proves that the militarization of police forces nationwide does not improve officer safety or reduce crime and actually correlates with increased violent crime and higher fatalities. Mapping Police Violence says that in 2024 (most recent data) civilian killings by police increased over 8% since 2019. Arming police like soldiers also makes them think like soldiers. The warrior mentality of “kill ’em all, no prisoners” has no place in a job whose mission is — allegedly — to “protect and serve.”
Stressing deescalation techniques instead of preparing cops to go “once more unto the breach” should be explored. Our lives depend on it. Based on 2024 data, cops killing civilians reached a new record high, a continuation of a trend that dated back several years. Since Mapping Police Violence started keeping track in 2013, 2024 was the deadliest year on record, with police killing at least 1,365 people. Most of these deaths came after 911 calls, and around 90% involved gunshots.
Black Americans are three times more likely to be killed by police than white people, and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, who make up only 0.3% of the U.S. population, are nearly eight times more likely to die at the hands of cops than whites.
Despite the high death rate, charges against police were reported in less than 1% of the 2024 cases.
Like every other North Texas force, Fort Worth PD has received millions of dollars in advanced weaponry through 1033, a 1997 program that allows local police departments to obtain military surplus. Fort Worth police are in possession of two mine-resistant armored vehicles (can’t turn a corner in Funkytown without hitting a landmine, right?) and heavy-duty firearms reportedly to counter terrorism and effect “high-risk” tactical operations. More Fort Worth cops have undergone AR-15 training over the past several years while also carrying German-made MP5 submachine guns. To “increase effectiveness,” the department says it may also upgrade ammo to .38 caliber pistols.
The correlation between increased police militarization and civil unrest is evident. The response to the cop killings of Michael Brown in 2014 and George Floyd in 2020 was to call for police demilitarization. Political rhetoric and the most corrupt White House in the history of the United States have only ramped up the chaos instead. Our local force should stop playing this potentially deadly game.
This column reflects the opinions of the editorial board and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.
