The Fort Worth Police Department has partially lifted the veil on its chase procedures to the public while still gripping tightly to critical segments of its strategy. Despite pressures for full transparency, Monday's release includes only "significant portions" of their policy, a move influenced by recent high-profile chases with tragic outcomes.
After "ongoing discussions", the department chose to share parts of the policy, striving to "honor the commitment to transparency," according to a news release. Nevertheless, they are determined to continuously hold back other policy areas, citing safety concerns for officers and the public. “We obviously wish that no one would make the decision to evade the police in the first place, but we know some criminals will do just that. We must, therefore, have an effective pursuit policy for our officers, and that includes specific tactics we don't want criminals to know," Chief Neil Noakes told CBS News Texas.
The decision arrives amidst the backdrop of the city of Fort Worth's legal action to block public records requests aimed at obtaining the full pursuit policy by news organizations, including the CBS News Texas and other groups which sparked after incidents including the death of an innocent bystander. However, transparency has been granted on the more general aspects of the policy found starting on page 106 of a disclosed document.
Critical elements such as prohibited tactics and the use of tire deflation devices are among the details intentionally left out from public disclosure. "The policy elements that the city still regards as confidential were known in 2020 because sections that were in effect then were among documents filed in a lawsuit that involves a wrongful death claim against the city," as per a report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. This selective release balances the need to inform the public while safeguarding operational methods, according to the Fort Worth Police Department.
These partial disclosures may not fully satisfy the curiosity and concern of residents, especially those looking for answers in light of recent calamities such as the deaths of bystanders Andra Craig and 15-year-old Samaria Ezell. Nevertheless, Noakes stands firm on the decision, explaining, “I stand by the decision to not inform criminals of our strategies. That said, I wholeheartedly believe in being transparent to our community who will now be more educated and aware of our policy and how it applies in various situations,” he wrote, as per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Critics continue to discuss the implications of these withheld procedures, and whether the need for officer safety outweighs the public's right to full transparency.
