Fort Worth

Outside Review Faults Fort Worth Police in Racial Incidents

Black officers' group calls for chief's ouster

An outside review of racial complaints by three black Fort Worth officers concludes there has been a hostile work environment within the department and that in at least one case, high-level supervisors knew about harassment and the appearance of retaliation and did nothing to stop it.

The president of the Fort Worth Black Police Officers Association, Sgt. Roy Hudson, said on Friday he no longer trusts Chief Jeffrey Halstead and called for his ouster.

A final version of the report, prepared by the consulting firm Coleman and Associates, was released late Friday. It was unclear how long city leaders have had the report, but a summary of its findings was released on Wednesday.

The review said it did not find "substantial evidence to prove that race discrimination occurred" but noted "a climate of suspicion and innuendo" appears to prevail at the department and the chief acknowledged two black officers were retaliated against because of "their skin color."

In one case, an officer assigned to the traffic division was "repeatedly subjected to behavior that was hostile, intimidating and bullying, and it was done publicly over a period of more than three years," the outside investigation concluded.

The officer's supervisor made up allegations against him and encouraged others not to work with him, the report said.

In another case, three sergeants were found to have participated in an incident in 2010 in which a noose and a banana were placed on a snowman outside the traffic division and photos of it were then circulated within the department.

Two of the supervisors were disciplined but the third was not, the report said.

In a third case, a leader of the black officers' group claimed he was harassed and investigated after he met informally with an assistant city manager. The officer said he was called to internal affairs, questioned, and ordered to turn over his personal cell phone for inspection.

Halstead has said he was investigating whether the group had violated a city contract in which the larger Fort Worth Police Officers Association is allowed exclusively to negotiate on behalf of officers.

The report did not name any of the officers or the supervisors who were the focus of the complaints.

Halstead declined requests for an interview but apologized in a video posted on YouTube on Wednesday.

"A little over a year and a half ago, two of our employees within the traffic division were disrespected and retaliated against simply because of their skin color," the chief said. "It's very egrigious. It's very hurtful."

He vowed to end any racism in the department and acknowledged his own past mistakes.

"It was very apparent within the report that even I made some very poor judgment decisions and I have apologized to any and everyone that I have hurt," he said. "Hopefully they'll accept my heartfelt apology and they understand I was making decisions to move the organization forward."

Officer John Choyce, the department's lead recruiter who also is a member of the Fort Worth Black Police Officers Association, said in a telephone interview that Halstead values diversity and has tried to increase the number of minority officers.

"He's a good man," Choyce said.

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