From
its birth as a settlement in the shadow of Camp Worth, the history
of Fort Worth and its police force is intertwined with the history
and legends of the Old West. Fort Worth's location on the cattle
trail leading north meant there was always a steady stream of cowboys
passing through the area in need of supplies and recreation before
taking their herds to Kansas. "Recreation" for the cowboys
was the biggest business in town; and early law enforcement efforts
had to be tempered by an awareness of this fact. All-night saloons
and gambling houses made up much of the town, and the owners of
these establishments were not interested in preserving the peace,
as much as they were interested in seeing that their businesses
continued to thrive.
In
1876, "Longhair" Jim Courtright was given the difficult
task of policing this roaring cowtown. With his reputation as a
scout, a performer in Wild Bill Hickock's
 Wild
West Show, and possessing a noted dexterity with firearms, Courtright
was able to give City Fathers what they wanted--a town where money
and liquor flowed, but where bloodshed
was cut to a trickle. It was under Courtright that a "police
force" was created--the authorization to fill two positions
with men to assist him in his duties. A
reputation went a long way in those days, and Courtright's reputation
with a gun was enough to make many men think twice before trying
something that might draw the Marshal's attention. Reportedly as
fast or faster than most famous gunmen of his time, Courtright was
able to reduce the number of killings in Fort Worth to less than
at any time before or since.
The
Department continued to grow after Courtright's departure, with
the first detective being appointed in 1883, and the first traffic
officer working the corner of 3rd and Main on Trades Day. In 1887,
the first permanent force was created, consisting of two mounted
officers, two patrolmen, one jailer, and two sanitary officers.
As
the century turned and the technological and social changes that
were to shape the twentieth century appeared, the Fort Worth Police
Department hurried to keep pace with the society it served. In 1905
the Department realized the advantage of working with other law
enforcement agencies and joined the Texas State Bureau of Information
for the bargain price of twenty-five dollars. In response to activities
of the suffragette movement, the department hired its first woman
to serve as police matron in 1907. Also in that year, the Department
was relieved of many problems by enactment of the present law forbidding
the operation of gambling houses in the State of Texas.
This
was about the time that the first automobiles were mingling with
the horses and wagons to create another twentieth century phenomenon:
the traffic jam. In 1909, the Department's first motor vehicle went
into service--a five horsepower  Indian
motorcycle gave chase to traffic violators and introduced them to
yet another breakthrough--the traffic ticket. The first motorcycle
patrolman, Henry Lewis, set up a speed gauge in the 100 block of
West 7th, a measured eighth of a mile. Indicating the amount of
traffic at the time, it was said Lewis was so adept at his job that
he could tell from the sound of an approaching car not only how
fast it was traveling, but whose car it was. A motorized patrol
wagon was introduced in 1911, and in 1914, the first patrol car
went into service.
Bicycles
were introduced in 1914 and for several years, a fifteen-man detail
pedaled up and down the streets of Fort Worth. The silent bicycles
whizzing softly about the town gave the Department a new visibility
and provided them with a tool that could bring them quickly and
quietly to the scene of a crime. More than once, this particular
piece of machinery was cursed by a burglar caught in the act by
an officer's silent arrival on a bicycle.
Another
innovation, common to us now but a sight that drew crowds in 1923,
was the introduction of the first stop sign at the intersection
of 13th and Jennings. Found to significantly reduce the number of
accidents and other traffic impediments at that corner, the concept
was quickly expanded so that not only stop signs, but other traffic
controls were installed in congested areas around the City.
With
the arrival of the Twenties and Prohibition, the task of enforcing
the Nineteenth Amendment was added to the list of the Department's
responsibilities. Working with the federal prohibition agents, Fort
Worth Police enforced the law and confiscated thousands of bottles
of bootleg beer and liquor. On March 30, 1927 sixteen thousand bottles
of beer were seized and destroyed in one raid alone.
During
the Thirties, the Department continued to grow and began to build
a nationwide reputation for its contribution to a number of famous
cases. Fort Worth officers played a key role in the demise of the
Clyde Barrow gang, a group later depicted in the famous movie "Bonnie
and Clyde." The Charles Urschel kidnapping brought more praise
to the Department, with Fort Worth detectives turning over valuable
information to federal investigators. Urschel, a wealthy Oklahoma
oilman, was taken from his home and hidden at a farmhouse in Wise
County--a farmhouse later raided by federal agents assisted by detectives
from the Fort Worth Police Department.
The
first policewomen were commissioned in October of 1943. These ten
officers worked Traffic Detail, and assisted other units when needed.
In
the Fifties, several technological advances were introduced into
the Department for use in police work. The first Radar Speed Check
was set up in 1954, sending up a roar of protest over police "speed
traps." Neighborhood children reduced its efficiency somewhat
by waving down motorists as they approached the radar zone, but
the idea of radar overcame these initial problems and soon became
an accepted tool of the Police Department.
For
many years after the advent of the squad car, two officers were
assigned to each unit; but on October 1, 1959, the pure one-officer
patrol was initiated on all beats and the shotgun replaced the observer
as an officer's partner.
In
1956, a teletype machine was added to the Department's equipment,
aiding communications via a direct line to the Texas Department
of Public Safety. The Police Crime Laboratory was opened for the
first time in 1961.
In
the wake of the Sixties, the Department had new challenges to meet,
and did so with a vast array of new programs. The Foot Patrol Unit
was added to the force and continued the process started by Community
Relations. The presence of an officer walking the streets downtown
did much to reassure the populace and gave people ready-access to
officers on patrol. A Drug Abuse Prevention Project was created
to combat a problem that was reaching epidemic proportions, and
a Neighborhood Crime Prevention Team was created.
Several
events highlighted the year 1985 for the Fort Worth Police Department,
including a move into new facilities. An operating agreement between
the city of  Fort
Worth and Tarrant County essentially put the Police Department out
of the jail business. In December 1985, Thomas R. Windham was appointed
the Chief of Police for the city of Fort Worth.
In
early 1986, Chief Windham initiated a whirlwind period of meetings
internally to learn the department and its personnel. During this
process, he initiated a series of monthly meetings with the community
called forums that continues today. The forum's objectives were
to seek input from the community on departmental issues with a focus
on creating and supporting community dialogue and increased citizen
participation. The forum process has proven to be a cornerstone
in developing a responsive community-oriented police department.
In
September, 1991, the Fort Worth City Council, Fort Worth Police
Department, and city businesses and community leaders began a private-public
partnership which has two key components--law enforcement and crime
prevention. One element of CODE:BLUE, the name given to this partnership,
is the Citizens on Patrol. While seemly an extension of the proto-typical
neighborhood watch, the Citizens on Patrol program includes comprehensive
training by the police department of all participants. This program
has succeeded beyond everyone's expectations.
By
the end of 1993, community policing in Fort Worth was paying dividends,
as crime decreased by 24%, and the city went from 5th to 12th place
in a comparison of crime rates among selected large cities.
In
2000, upon the death of Chief Windham, Ralph Mendoza was appointed
as the new Chief of Police. Chief Mendoza is a veteran of the
department, serving
for over 25 years and rising through the ranks to Executive Deputy
Chief before his appointment as Chief of Police.
Today
the Police Department is broken down into six bureaus--Executive,
North/West Field Operations, South/East Field Operations, Special
Services, Operational Support, and Administrative Services--the
work is then further split into more specialized units. Each unit
within a division has a specialized area of expertise.
Covering
the City on 75 beats in 12 patrol districts, the officers on patrol
help the 540,391 citizens of Fort Worth through many problems that
develop in a city of this size. In the course of this activity,
an officer is called on to perform tasks that would test the patience
of any mortal, and to perform these tasks in an efficient manner.
In the course of a day, an officer may be called on to settle a
domestic quarrel, quiet an unruly citizen, confine those who drink
to excess, lend assistance to the young and aged, and bring an end
to situations that erupt into violence.
The
Fort Worth Police Department today is a far cry from the days when
Jim Courtright challenged cowboys to draw on him in the wild days
of Fort Worth's past. Take away the technological advances and the
growth in population, and the essence of sound police work is the
same as it was in those early days: recognizing the community's
needs for protection and assistance, and meeting those needs in
an orderly, efficient fashion. The bulk of police work is done now
as it was then--the single officer answering a call for assistance
and using judgment at the scene. No matter how much the world changes
in the years to come, no matter what dazzling prospects are offered
us by the technology that has already changed our lives, the police
officer will be the one that people look to in times of crisis,
and will be the one to rise to the occasion.
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