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 FWPD West Division Newsletter
May 2025
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Super Saturday Kids Safety Fair Hosted at The Shops at Clearfork.
On Saturday, April 26, 2025, the FWPD West Division took part in the Texas Health Super Saturday Safety Fair held at The Shops at Clearfork. The event featured participation from multiple agencies including FWFD, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Dept. of Fish and Game, KnowWhat2Do, Help Me Grow, Breeze Urgent Care, North Texas Poison Center, and Tarrant County 911. Commander Heise, NPO Janzen (K17), Vanessa Lewis from Neighborhood Services, CPS Mitsuhashi, along with McGruff the Crime Dog and his handler Mona, collaborated to provide education on various crime prevention topics tailored for both children and adults. Additionally, children had the chance to win prizes by spinning a safety wheel and correctly answering safety-related questions.
Law Enforcement Torch Run Raises Funds for Special Olympics
The Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) hosted their inaugural Law Enforcement Torch Run in support of Special Olympics Texas athletes on Friday, April 25, at The Shops at Clearfork.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics was started in 1981 by Wichita, Kansas, Police Chief Richard LaMunyon. It is the Special Olympics’ largest grassroots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle worldwide. Law enforcement officers throughout the world carry the "Flame of Hope" through the streets of their communities and deliver it to their local, state, national or world Special Olympics Games.
The Torch Run is another effort by the FWPD to bridge the gap between the police and the community while supporting Special Olympics Texas. FWPD's goal was to raise $10,000, but they tripled that amount and brought in over $30,000! Nearly 300 registrants attended the event.
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Origin Bank Honors First Responders at Local Hometown Heroes Event
On April 9, 2025, Origin Bank hosted its "Local Hometown Heroes" event, extending an invitation to all First Responders. The gathering brought together personnel from the fire department, police force, and healthcare sector. In addition to enjoying a complimentary meal, attendees participated in games and had the chance to win exciting door prizes. This event served as a gesture of appreciation for the dedication and service of these local heroes.
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Beat Happenings!
NPOs Haddad and Pennington Compete in Local Pickleball Tournament
On April 8, 2025, the West Division of the police department hosted a unique community engagement event titled "Pickleball with Police" at the Picklr. Neighborhood Patrol Officers (NPOs) Haddad from beat L13 and Pennington from beat L14 represented West Division at this event. The participants included a local pastor from Officer Haddad's area and the owner of an IT company from Officer Pennington's area, both of whom joined in to challenge the officers on the pickleball court.
These pickleball events are part of a broader initiative to strengthen community-police relationships. By engaging in friendly competitions and casual interactions, the police aim to build a closer rapport with the community members they serve. Such events provide an informal setting where officers can connect with residents, fostering trust and understanding between law enforcement and the public.
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Stevenson Oaks Residents Attend AI Scam Awareness Presentation
CPS Mitsuhashi and NPO Vasquez delivered a presentation on AI scams to the residents of Stevenson Oaks. During the session, attendees gained insights into what AI scams entail, learned how to recognize them, and received guidance on steps to take if they fall victim to such fraudulent schemes.
Affinity Senior Living Residents Learn Essential Internet Safety Practices
Residents at Affinity Senior Living recently participated in an internet safety presentation led by CPS Mitsuhashi and NPO Vasquez. During the session, attendees were informed about different types of online scams and received practical guidance on how to safeguard themselves against becoming victims. The presentation emphasized recognizing fraudulent schemes, protecting personal information, and adopting safe online habits to help residents navigate the digital world with greater confidence and security
Elm at River Park Hosts Community Safety Social Event
NPO Haddad (L13), Officer Loud, and CPS Mitsuhashi attended a safety social at The Elm at River Park to present the Phase III Safety Social certificate, recognizing the property’s successful completion of all three phases of the Crime Free Multi-Housing program. Residents who joined the celebration enjoyed pizza and refreshments. Following the social, CPS Mitsuhashi and NPO Haddad discussed practical crime prevention strategies that residents can employ to help protect themselves and reduce the risk of becoming victims of crime
Son of NPO Officer Pennington Honored to Throw First Pitch at Frisco RoughRiders' Opening Day
Archie Pennington (second from the left), the son of NPO Officer Pennington (L14), had the privilege of throwing out the first pitch at the Frisco RoughRiders' opening day in 2025. This event marked the start of the RoughRiders' season, which began on April 4th at Riders Field in Frisco, Texas. Archie is a second baseman for the Phillies in his Westside Little League team, and his father, NPO Pennington, serves as a coach for the team. This special moment highlighted the connection between local community involvement and professional baseball events. In the photo lower right Archie proudly displays the first pitch ball that he threw.
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Overton South Holds First COP Meeting
West Division Command Staff, including Commander Heise and NPO Sergeant Stary, along with NPO J. Back (K18), Northwest Division COP Coordinator (Sandra Jones - Hunley), and South Division COP Coordinator (Warner Filley), attended the inaugural meeting of the Overton South Citizens on Patrol (COP) Group. Westpoint/Chapel Creek COP Captain Bob Bienski also participated in the event, joined by four members (Donald Chambers, Vicki Coss, Thomas Mahony and John Nagley Jr) of the Overton South COP group.
During the meeting, attendees received an introduction to the COP program, outlining its principles, as well as their roles and responsibilities as members. Certificates were presented to Vicki Coss (Captain) and John Nagely Jr., recognizing their completion of COP training on March 8, 2025.
NPO Honored for Outstanding Community Service
NPO David Nicholson (K11) was honored by District 6 Councilmember Jared Williams for his exceptional contributions to the Lake Como community. Although NPO Nicholson is now serving in Beat K11, his tireless efforts and commitment will have a lasting impact in the city.
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Lincoln District Officers Tee Off at LVT Rise’s Annual Charity Golf Tournament
On April 14, 2025, Lincoln District officers took part in LVT Rise’s annual golf tournament at The Golf Club at Fossil Creek. Led by Lincoln NPO Sgt. Owen, the West Division team included L15 NPO Park, L16 NPO Grinalds, and L15 2nd shift officer Rider, who joined together to form a foursome for the event
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Royalton at Chapel Creek installs "Hide Lock and Take" signs.
As a reminder to all residents, management at the Royalton at Chapel Creek has installed "Hide, Lock, and Take" signs at each entry gate to the community. These signs encourage everyone to hide personal belongings, lock their vehicles, and take their keys to help prevent theft. A limited number of these signs are available. Businesses interested in obtaining and displaying a sign can contact CPS Steve Mitsuhashi at (817) 392-4768 for more information
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Scam Alerts
BBB shares tips to avoid a phishing email scam
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Scammers are targeting email inboxes in a sophisticated phishing scheme that impersonates multiple businesses. These emails appear authentic, with logos, graphics, and footers designed to mimic email from a well-known company. However, it’s fraudulent. This is a common tactic scammers use to steal your personal information.
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How the scam works
You receive an email that seems to be from a verified business stating you have an unauthorized transaction. To resolve this, the email advises you to contact the respective business’ customer service team by providing a fake number or email. The email might also include a message prompting you to review and sign a document. The email doesn’t state what the document is for or why you need to sign it. In reality, the email is fake and attempts to get you to click on suspicious links or to call bogus customer service telephone numbers to try to steal your personal or financial information.
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Tips to avoid email phishing scams
Common phishing attempts can take on many forms as scammers attempt to take advantage of people’s trust in many well-known brands. Receiving an email about an unauthorized payment on your account can cause panic and stress. Scammers often try to pressure you to act right away without thinking.
Before you act on the email, stay calm and take a moment to walk through the following suggestions on how to protect yourself online.
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Don’t click, download, or open anything from the email. Phishing emails attempt to access your personal information or install malware on your devices with bad links and attachments.
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Verify the claims in the email on your own. If you receive a suspicious email saying an unauthorized payment was made to one of your financial accounts, verify the claim on your own. Do not click any of the login links or contact any of the phone numbers or email addresses included in the email. Go to your financial institution or company’s website on your own and log in to your accounts to check them there. You can also call the number listed on the company’s website to verify the transactions.
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Never give out your personal information. If you receive a suspicious email, do not call any listed phone numbers, reply, open links, or download attachments. PayPal customer service will never ask customers for certain personal information, their password, SMS verification codes, or financial details by email, text message, or over the phone. Be wary if you are asked to provide these details.
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Get a second opinion. If you’re still unsure about the validity of the email, call a friend, loved one, or your local BBB to ask for a second opinion. You can also search on BBB Scam Tracker to see if others have reported receiving a similar suspicious email.
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Report and flag emails. PayPal recommends reporting any phishing emails to the security team by forwarding them to phishing@paypal.com and then deleting them. Suspicious emails can also be flagged directly to email providers.
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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.
NPO Roster
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Community News
Las Vegas Trail Rise Community Center
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Thomas Place Community Center
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