FORT WORTH, Texas — A new 96-page report presented to council members in Fort Worth Tuesday shows that the police department for the 12th largest city in the U.S. has some work to do.
In 2020, the city leaned on a panel of law enforcement experts to examine the department following a number of high-profile use of force incidents, including the death of Atatiana Jefferson in October 2019.
Jefferson was shot and killed inside her home when officers arrived to perform a welfare check. She was unarmed.
The panel is led by Dr. Alex del Carmen, a renowned criminologist and trainer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Dr. Theron Bowman also leads the panel. He is a former chief of police for the City of Arlington.
Bowman is also a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police, the FBI National Academy and the FBI National Executive Institute.
In 2020, an initial report found numerous failures in the department's crisis intervention team and issues with data collection surrounding accountability.
It also underscored that use of force and de-escalation tactics were not always appropriately followed.
Since the first report was issued, the department has hired Chief Neil Noakes, who has vowed a zero-tolerance approach to bad policing under his watch.
Noakes was an internal hire and familiar with the struggles the department faced.
The new report delivered on Tuesday suggested he has miles to go.
In the executive summary, the panel found that embracing de-escalation and using force as retaliation were still issues.
It also found that supervisors weren't holding officers accountable.
"The concerns identified in this report, though not unique, are serious and will require significant attention by the Department’s leadership and the City," the report read.
"The failure to use effective de-escalation techniques continues to be a significant issue that has increased mistrust. Accountability for aggressive police tactics is frequently anemic or ineffective and can place form over substance, missing both individual and systemic problems. Compounding the issue, the Panel heard reports from supervisors in the Department that middle managers were discouraged from raising issues unless there had been a complaint or a public outcry."
The report also highlighted that officers aren't respecting the public on some calls.
That includes cursing and abusive language, and one paragraph says such instances aren't even sent to internal affairs.
"Good policy and training are not followed up with robust accountability. Officer conduct, including cursing, abusive language, the failure to de-escalate, unnecessary shows of force, and tactical mistakes that create dangers to the officer and the community, are at times not rebuffed by the chain of command or not investigated by Internal Affairs."
The report also pointed to an alarming use of force while people are detained or in handcuffs.
"The Panel observed a disturbing pattern of the display of Tasers, punching, and force against persons in handcuffs under circumstances in which no threat of resistance was present."
The report also found that the department still struggles to hire more diversely.
It also said that no-knock warrants were routinely used as training exercises when safer alternatives were available and should have been considered or applied.
The entire report can be read here.
Noakes did speak to the council after the latest report was presented, saying changes have been made within the department.
"Some of the changes we've made: revisions to use of force policies to emphasize de-escalation techniques, supervisory reviews and discipline, and clarification to departmental policies in training on the appropriate use of tasers and force," Noakes said.
Cory Session spoke with WFAA after the report was released; he's been working with the city for almost a decade to better relations with the community, specifically communities of color.
"It's a reflection and a mirror of the city. But mirrors aren't there to reflect what you see; they're there to correct what you see," Session said.
"It's incumbent on everybody, the city council, the police chief, and the community to ensure that these things don't happen," he added.
Session, however, wasn't discouraged. He said everything the department needs to work on is now out there, and all that's left is for changes to be implemented.
"The chief is committed to making sure that everyone in his department follows the rules or faces consequences," Session said.
"The city as a whole loses when we allow specific individuals in the department to keep things hush-hush. What the city is now seeing, citizens have been complaining about for years, and it's all out on the table and no longer hidden," he said.
"Officers do so much good every day, but that tiny number who disgrace the badge is always amplified. I'm confident this chief is going to check that."