FWPD West Division Newsletter

October 2024

West Division National Night Out 2024 Festivities

West Division had more than 30 individuals sign up to host a National Night Out event.  Diversity and creativity were on full display as each host location used imagination and creativity when planning their event as evidenced by the fact that each event offered something a little different, whether it was the type of activities, decorations, food, or music that set one event apart from the others, as depicted in the pictures below.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at Luella Merrett Elementary School

Music, food, and fun were the themes of this year's National Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at Luella Merrett Elementary School. Families who attended the event had the opportunity to listen to vibrant Latin music, sample various types of regional cuisine, or try their hand at various sporting activities like soccer and basketball. Little ones had the opportunity to ride a miniature train that took children around the facility's perimeter. NPO Pennington (L14) and CPS Mitsuhashi attended to distribute crime prevention literature and answer any questions that people had who stopped by the display booth.

Habitat for Humanity hosts crime prevention training for new homeowners.

Habitat for Humanity hosted a crime prevention workshop for individuals who are in the process of qualifying to own their first home.  This workshop was the fifth of six planned workshops that FWPD Crime Prevention holds throughout the year.  The attendees will become future homeowners in Fort Worth as well as Johnson and Parker counties.  At the workshop, these future homeowners learned about the various preventative measures that they can take to add "layers of protection" to keep their new homes and themselves safe.

Hulen Mall hosts Cookies with a COP

On September 21, 2024, Hulen Mall hosted the first annual Cookies with a Cop event.  Attendees had the opportunity to learn about crime prevention, speak with police officers, play a game of corn hole, and enjoy the delicious cookies. The Great American Cookie and Chick-fil-A generously donated the cookies for the event.  An estimated 200 people were in attendance. Commander Ricks, Lt. Medders, and NPO Back (K18) were available to meet with the guests to answer questions or discuss any issues of particular concern to them.

West Division NPOs recognized for keeping historic Camp Bowie Blvd safe.

On September 26, 2024, West Division NPOs attended an event celebrating 100 years of success on Camp Bowie Blvd. Commander Ricks, Lincoln NPO Sergeant Owen, NPOs Escalante, Kuzenka, Morquecho, Nicholson, Park, and Officer Adam Robison were on hand to accept the Chairman's Award.  This award recognizes the group that has made the most significant impact in transforming Camp Bowie Blvd.  Since the beats of each of the NPOs who attended intersect with the historic Camp Bowie corridor, each NPO plays a critical role in keeping this historic area safe and strong.

Beat Happenings!

Officers receive new tumblers at Walmart's Grand Reopening

As part of Walmart's Grand Reopening at their store located at 9500 Clifford Street, Megan Simpson (Asset Protection Operations Coach) presented West Division officers with customized tumblers to thank them for their service to the community.

Lincoln NPO Sergeant, NPO Bryant and NPO McEwan attend grand opening of the Clifford Crossing Community Library

District 7 Councilmember Macy Hill, along with Lincoln NPO Sergeant Owen, NPO McEwan (L17), and NPO Bryant (L18), were among those in attendance to celebrate the grand opening of the Clifford Crossing Library. The library, located at 9336 Clifford St, Suite 120, will serve the residents of the rapidly growing area west of Loop 820 West and North of I-30. 

West Division officers participate in the 20th annual Shoot for the Blue charity event

The Fort Worth Police Department Bike Support group hosted the 20th annual Shoot for the Blue charity event at Defender Outdoor Clay Sports Ranch on September 20, 2024.  Several West Division officers and command staff turned out to support the event, including Commander Ricks, Lt. Genualdo, Lt. Hodges, Lt. Medders, Sgt. Reinhardt, Sgt. Owen, NPO Back (K18), NPO Johnson (K12), NPO Kuzenka (L12), NPO McEwan (L17), NPO Pennington (L14) and on-loan Officer A. Demore.

West Division officers attend Career Day at local Montessori school. NPOs Morquecho (K14), Escalante (K13), and on-loan Officer Daniel Wagner participated in career day activities at Montessori school.  The students had the opportunity to explore a police vehicle and learn about the different types of equipment that officers use daily.

CFMH Officer Jones, NPO Ehirim and CPS Mitsuhashi meet with residents of Silverstone Retirement Community to discuss multiple law enforcement topics.

On September 26, 2024, Crime Free Multi-Housing Officer Jones, NPO Ehirim, and CPS Mitsuhashi met with residents of Silverstone Retirement Community to talk about various aspects of law enforcement.  CFMH Jones presented an overview of the Crime Free Multi-Housing program. NPO Ehirim discussed crime trends and answered residents' specific questions about crime in the area. CPS Mitsuhashi gave a presentation on how to avoid telephone scams to conclude the program.

What are NPO's?

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. 

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. 

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. 

Fraud and Scam Alert

Five ways to keep scammers and hackers away

By

 

Alvaro Puig

Consumer Education Specialist

August 23, 2024

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We’re living in the data age. The things we do on our phones and computers, on our internet-enabled smart devices, and on websites leave a trail of our activities and our personal information. That personal information has value — not just to us, but to scammers and hackers who want to steal our identities. Here are five things you can do to keep scammers and hackers at bay.

1. Secure your accounts so they’re hard to crack. Use a strong password. And enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on sensitive accounts like your email or financial accounts. 2FA adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification.
2. Keep your security software, operating system and internet browsers and apps up to date to defend against the latest threats.
3. Your wireless network is the gateway to all the Wi-Fi enabled devices in your home. To protect your connected devices, replace the default Wi-Fi network password and router admin password with a strong password. And encrypt your network to prevent unauthorized access.
4. Set your computer and phone to lock when you’re not using them. That’ll prevent unauthorized access to your computer if you step away or to your phone if you lose it.
5. Create a backup copy of your information. That way you can recover it if your device gets infected, hacked, stolen, or lost. Back up your data to the cloud or an external drive.

Report scammers and hackers at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If someone stole your personal information, report it, and get recovery steps, at IdentityTheft.gov.

Human Trafficking 101

What Is Trafficking

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) defines a sex trafficking victim as a person induced to perform a commercial sex act through force, fraud or coercion. Any person under age 18 who performs a commercial sex act is considered a victim of human trafficking, regardless of whether, force, fraud or coercion was present.

By The Numbers:

• 65% of trafficking cases started with online recruitment (Polaris)

• $99 Billion dollars per year is generated from forced prostitution alone (Exodus Cry)

• 85% of victims reported being trafficked by an intimate partner or family member (Polaris)

• 20% of all men will buy sex at least once in their life; 6% of men will buy in any given year. (Demand Abolition)

• 85 - 95% of those in prostitution want to escape but have no other options for survival. (Melissa Farley)

• 2/3 Almost two thirds of active buyers want to quit buying sex. (Demand Abolition)

Did You Know?

• 11 - 15 years old is the average age of entry into prostitution found in most US research studies. (Equality Model)

• There is no common demographic of sex buyers. They are all ages, races, and socioeconomic statuses. (Demand Abolition)

• Texas is 2nd in the nation for most reported trafficking cases. (National Human Trafficking Hotline)

Misconception:

• All sex trafficking victims are kidnapped, and we should be on alert for stranger danger.

• Human Trafficking involves moving a person across state lines or international borders.

• Traffickers target random people in stores or parking lots.

• If a victim isn't a young child but an adult, shouldn't she know better or at least ask for help if she is being trafficked?

Reality:

• More than 88% of trafficking victims are exploited by someone they know and trust.

• Trafficking victims can be exploited anywhere, including in their hometowns or even their own homes.

• Trafficking are looking for people who are vulnerable.

• Because trafficking is sensationalized in the media, many do not identify as trafficking victims.

Community Center Events

LVT Rise Community Center

Thomas Place Community Center