We look forward to visiting more than 25 neighborhoods and apartments on Tuesday, Oct. 1 where National Night Out events are scheduled. Getting to know your neighbors is one of the best ways to prevent crime!

Check with your HOA or neighborhood association to see if there's a NNO celebration where you live. Here are three events open to neighbors near these Fort Worth community centers:

As we head into the holiday season, we expect to see increases in thefts and burglaries. There are two things you can do right now to protect yourself and your family:

1) Get in the habit of locking doors every time you leave your home or vehicle.

2) Re-energize or start a neighborhood crime watch.

Crime Watch involves getting to know your neighbors, connecting with your neighborhood patrol officer (NPO) and learning when and how to report suspicious activity. If you’d like to get started, email or call Crime Prevention Specialist Dot Kent at dot.kent@fortworthtexas.gov or 817-392-3537.

Northpointe Neighborhood Crime Watch

Northpointe residents reached out last month to start a neighborhood crime watch. At their first meeting, NPO Josh Vanbrunt met neighbors at their community park to answer questions about how to report loud noise, door-to-door soliciting and other neighborhood concerns. 

North Main Business Crime Watch

Businesses on North Main Street, between Northside Drive and 23^rd Street, have started a business crime watch group to share concerns and take prevention steps. Their next meeting is 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 7 at Artes de la Rosa, 1440 N. Main. A member of the police HOPE Team will discuss how to deal with homeless persons. All North Main business owners and managers are invited to attend.

NW 25th Street Business Crime Watch

This group has been meeting monthly to keep up with crime trends and share information. Their next meeting is noon Monday, Oct. 14 at J.B. Taqueria, 1426 NW 25th St. A FWPD detective will share steps for preventing robbery. For more information contact NPO Skelton at magdalena.skelton@fortworthtexas.gov 

When the Stockyards Bike Team launched in mid-April, its mission was to improve safety at one of the city’s most popular tourist destinations— where public events attract large crowds. All the fun sometimes brings traffic congestion, noise complaints, parking violations and theft.

The bike team introduced themselves to each of the more than 100 businesses,  owners and managers aware of the newly formed team, sharing their goals and listening for input. The conversations helped established trust, transparency and a collaborative policing strategy.

In just six months, Stockyards Bike Team efforts are showing results, including decreases in traffic congestion, loud music complaints and parking violations. The Bike Team has also apprehended thieves and robbery suspects, found a lost child in a crowd and arrested a subject wanted for violent sex crime who had evaded police capture for many years. In addition, businesses credit the bike team with reducing loitering, homeless issues and would-be thieves trying to open car doors in parking lots.

As the team gained experience, their duties expanded beyond the Stockyards to nearby events, including Juneteenth and Cowboy Heritage parades. At Marine Creek Lake, they coordinated emergency response when a summer CrossFit event turned tragic. They also patrol public parks, including Trinity, Trail Drivers, Rodeo and Marine. In short order, the Stockyards Bike Team has surpassed  expectations thanks to a highly dedicated group of officers.

City streets, including the one in front of your home, are considered public places. You may not like it when someone parks in front of your home, but it’s legal to do so in most cases. Here are some parking rules residents ask about most often.

Street Parking - Vehicles can be parked on any public street unless otherwise prohibited by official signage. Never block driveways or fire hydrants when parking on a public street, and never park over a sidewalk, crosswalk or in an intersection.

Alley Parking - It’s unlawful for any driver to park a vehicle within an alley.

Lawn Parking - It’s unlawful to park a vehicle on unpaved portions of residential front or side yards. That includes a car, truck, bus, motorcycle, motorhome, camper, trailer, boat or any vehicle. Residents are only permitted to park in a driveway or paved parking spot.

Violations carry a penalty of up to $200 to $500 per day, plus court costs and possible towing. To report violations, use the MyFW app on your smart phone, call the police non-emergency number 817-392-4222 or report online.

Court in the Community

Fort Worth Municipal Court brings its Court in the Community/Warrant Forgiveness event to Northwest Division 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 5, at Diamond Hill Community Center, 1700 N.E. 37th St. Anyone with outstanding Fort Worth Municipal Court citations is invited, without fear of arrest, to resolve outstanding cases and check eligibility for alternatives such as community service or reduced fines based on ability to pay.

This first-come, first-served court is for Class C criminal court cases, such as traffic violations, ordinance violations and penal code violations. For more information call 817-392-6700. Additional free services at the event:

Goodwill North Central Texas will offer employment opportunities, job placement services, career counseling and training for resume writing, interviewing and job search techniques.

Legal Aid of Northwest Texas will have general civil intake for family law, wills, landlord/tenant cases, federal tax, bankruptcy and real property matters.

Make sure you can vote!

The State of Texas has removed roughly one million people from its voter rolls as part of voter roll maintenance. To find out if you're still registered, visit www.VoteTexas.gov to check your voting status. It only takes a minute! Check soon! If you're not registered, Monday, Oct. 7 is the last day to register to vote for the Nov. 5 election.

Commander Randy Molina recently presented Hooker’s Grill owner Ruth Hooker with a Police Department Act of Kindness Award. Ruth helped a customer get home safely, after “friends” left the restaurant without her. The customer had been drinking and her phone had died, too. Ruth arranged for a ride-share, then let the young woman’s parents know she was headed home. “If every restaurant owner was like Ruth, our entire city would be safer,” said Molina. Hooker’s Grill is located at 213 W Exchange Ave., in Northwest Police Division.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage

Northwest Division officers, including Commander Molina, were honored to assist at the Fiestas Patrias Parade & Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff Celebration Sept. 15 in the Fort Worth Stockyards Historic District. The parade drew a record-breaking crowd with an estimated 10,000 spectators!

Sonidos del Summer

The sounds of summer were sweet in Marine Park, for the final concert of this family friendly event series, sponsored by the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and many other Northside partners. Special thanks to our friend Gunner, who helped out with the Crime Prevention spinning wheel and prizes!

Kiki's Club 

NPO Massey dropped in last month as members of Kiki’s Club learned about the water cycle at North Tri-Ethnic Community Center, 2950 Roosevelt Ave. The center offers free activities for special needs adults 18 and older. Kiki’s Club enjoys arts and crafts, cooking, karaoke, field trips and more. For information or to volunteer, call 817-392-5200.

Boys & Girls Club

Northwest officers were on hand as Dallas Mavericks players visited the North Fort Worth Boys & Girls Clubs, 2000 Ellis Ave.  The Mavs Foundation renovated the club’s Education Room with brand new floors, paint, furniture, wall murals, laptops and iPads for children to use in after-school and summer programming.  Boys & Girls Clubs give kids the resources they need to be successful in life.

What’s Wrong with This Picture?

Children coming home from school got a fun lesson in bike safety, while they waited in line for a snack. Kids were challenged to find “what’s wrong with this picture?” and tell why it’s not safe. Once a month, we’ve shared a different safety topic with residents of Providence Marine Creek Apartments.

Water Donation

It seemed summer temperatures would never end! Our sincere thanks to Riverside Homebuilders for their donation of water to help keep our officers hydrated and to Sales Manager Dominic Beca for the company’s continued support of the Fort Worth Police Department.