FWPD West Division Newsletter

June 2024

Moritz Kia hosts ignition switch software upgrade event.

Vehicles were lined up at Moritz Kia 90 minutes prior to the start of the ignition switch software upgrade event on Saturday, May 18, 2024.  In total, 64 vehicles came in for the free upgrade.  In addition, another 5 to 10 vehicles, which had previously come in for the ignition switch software upgrade, came by to pick up a free Club steering wheel lock. Registered vehicle owners came from all over the DFW metroplex to have the software upgrade performed with the farthest distance traveled being from Waxahachie.  Those who were unable to attend the event can still have the ignition switch software upgrade performed by scheduling an appointment with the dealership.

Moritz Kia employee preparing to join the Fort Worth Police Academy this June Arturo Colmenero (service porter) will be attending the Fort Worth Police Academy as a new recruit starting this June.  Congratulations Arturo!

Child Makes Miraculous Recovery Thanks to Officers

Fort Worth, TX – On May 1, 2024, officers from the Fort Worth Police Department’s West Division responded to a water emergency call regarding a two-year-old boy who had drowned in a pool. Upon arrival, officers found the boy’s mother performing CPR. Officer Davachi immediately took over chest compressions while Sergeant Brady assisted with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

The Fort Worth Fire Department arrived within minutes and assisted with medical care along with MedStar who transported the child to a local hospital. Investigators at the call location were informed by medical personnel that the child's prognosis was dire, with little expectation of survival through the night.

A week later, on May 8, 2024, the Fort Worth Police Department received miraculous news: the child that had drowned, named Rowdy, had made a full recovery and was set to be released from the hospital.

The West Division team was overjoyed to hear of Rowdy’s recovery.
To celebrate this incredible outcome, Officer Davachi along with the entire second shift team who responded to the initial call visited Rowdy and his family. They took teddy bears for Rowdy and his siblings and allowed the family to explore the police cars, fostering a positive connection with the community.
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Officer Demore assists with Academy4 curriculum at Blue Haze Elementary School

On Friday May 10, 2024, Officer Amanda Demore assisted with the Academy4 curriculum at Blue Haze Elementary School.  Officer Demore comes in early for her shift to meet with the students to help build relationships and engage with our youth. A "BIG SHOUT OUT" to you Officer Demore!

West Division Property Crimes Unit and Family Violence team up for the Code Blue Golf Tournament

West property crimes officers Stackhouse, Wylie and Sullivan along with family violence detective V. Gray fielded a team to compete in the 30th annual Code Blue Golf Tournament at the Pecan Valley golf course. Cooperative weather, friendly competition and good food are the key ingredients for having a great day on the course.

A golf tournament isn't complete without a good meal. A great meal is a fantastic way to cap off a  day on the links.  NPO Sgt. Owen is seen sampling some of the food coming off the grill. Owen wanted to make sure that the participants had a delicious lunch waiting for them after they had completed their round of golf.

NPO Corner

NPO Ehirim gives students a demonstration on police equipment at Hatfield Elementary School career day. L15 NPO Nelson "Easy" Ehirim attended career day festivities at Hatfield Elementary School.  Students had an opportunity to learn about the various pieces of equipment that police officers use on the job on a daily basis.

Bike giveaway held at Idea Rise East NPO Burrell and Everman PD Officer Brooks hosted a bike giveaway at Idea Rise in West Fort Worth on May 3, 2024.  Plans were put into motion to hold the event after Officer Brooks received a request from a family that lives in the area.

Members of Girl Scout troop 2569 meet with first responders at Uplift Elevate School First responders from both fire and police recently traveled to Uplift Elevate School to meet with Girl Scout Troop 2569.  NPO McEwan L17 had the opportunity to show the young ladies the various types of equipment that police officers use on a daily basis including his police vehicle.

Lincoln NPOs provide uniform security for Gov. Abbott. Gov. Abbott was in town recently to speak at a local event at Fred's Cafe.  NPOs R. Park (L13) and J. Bryant (L18) were in attendance to provide physical security for the governor.

NPO Roster

What are NPO’s? 

**Enter your address on http://oneaddress.fortworthtexas.gov/ You will find your BEAT and NPO assigned as well as your nearest City Facilities, Services, and Crime Data. 

By having the Neighborhood Patrol Officers dedicated to specific geographic areas, the officers are not only able to become more familiar with the area than regular patrol officers, but they are also able to serve as a resource for and get to know area residents and business owners, learn about neighborhood concerns, and build working relationships with area Citizen on Patrol volunteers to work hand-in-hand in reducing neighborhood crime and promoting crime prevention tools. 

Primary Duties: 

• Work with crime analysts to identify crime trends within assigned neighborhoods, maintain open lines of communication with detectives, and assist the Information Management Section and supervisors in planning appropriate actions to address issues. 

• Foster positive community leadership as a means to empower citizens within their neighborhoods by encouraging involvement in Citizens on Patrol, Citizen Police Academy, and Crime Watch to work collaboratively to reduce crime and promote crime prevention tools. 

• Maintain open lines of communication between residents, business owners and the police department by attending community meetings and events, including neighborhood association and other community meetings. 

• Recruit Citizen on Patrol volunteers, schedule them for training, and provide on-going training and correspondence to encourage and retain active memberships. 

211 Texas - Connecting People and Services

No matter where you live in Texas, you can dial 2-1-1, or (877) 541-7905, and find information about resources in your local community. Whether you need help finding food or housing, child care, crisis counseling or substance abuse treatment, one number is all you need to know. 

Scam Alert

Now that the start of the busy summer travel season is upon us, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has provided some important information on how to avoid becoming a victim of a hotel booking scam.

If you are planning an upcoming trip, keep an eye out for hotel booking scams. BBB Scam Tracker continues to receive reports of travelers falling victim to lookalike websites. Always confirm you are on the right website before making hotel reservations.

How the scam works

You search for hotels in the city you plan to visit. Among the top search results is what appears to be an official hotel website or a legitimate travel booking agency. When you click the link, you find a website with professional photos from the hotel and reasonable pricing.

Everything looks normal, so you decide to book a room. You enter your credit card information and check out. However, when you review your credit card statement, you notice you’ve been charged a much higher rate than you agreed. It turns out that you weren’t on the official hotel website after all! You accidentally clicked on a third-party site without affiliation with the hotel.

One consumer reported this experience on BBB Scam Tracker: “When searching the web for a particular hotel, like [company name redacted], the hotel's logo appears on their website. You think that you are contacting the hotel that you searched for, but you are not. They are a third party that operates under the guise of being associated with the hotel. They told me they handle overflow calls for the hotel, not true. In addition to the cost for the hotel, they assess a $16 "service" fee without advising you."

When you contact the company to cancel your reservation, you may not be able to get through to anyone. And even if you do, they’ll likely tell you you’ve made a non-refundable reservation. The best they can do is cancel your reservation and charge you for it anyway.

How to avoid hotel booking scams

• Only book hotels through official websites. The best way to avoid this kind of scam is to check and double-check you are on an official hotel website before you enter your credit card information. Scammers are pros at building fake lookalike websites to fool you into giving up your information. Look closely at the URL to ensure you are on the hotel’s official website or a booking agency you know and trust.

• Only make reservations through secure websites. You’ll also want to ensure websites and their payment pages are secure, meaning they start with https:// and display a padlock symbol. If a web page isn’t secure, don’t enter your personal information and close the tab.

• Watch out for misleading ads. Look at search results carefully. Just because a website is the first result on the page doesn’t mean it’s legitimate. Watch out for high-ranking ads that scammers could sponsor.

• Research businesses you aren’t familiar with. If you find a booking site that looks professional but you haven’t heard of it before, proceed with caution. Search for reviews on third-party websites and keep a close eye out for reports of scams. Never share your personal information with a person or business until you know they are trustworthy.

Community Center Events

LVT Rise Community Center

Thomas Place Community Center