Fort Worth's police chief promises to make necessary changes to improve his department, following a report revealing race based complaints and hostile work situations for employees.
On Tuesday, the Fort Worth city council and city manager gave Chief Jeffrey Halstead a vote of confidence by saying they believed he could implement necessary changes to improve his department. An investigation of the complaints, referred to as the Coleman Report, was released Aug. 22 and looked into three black officers complaints of racial discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
In an executive session the council was scheduled to deliberate the evaluation and "discipline" of the chief, but City Manager David Cooke said the council used the time to discuss an action plan to respond to the report.
The 3-E Action Plan, as it's called, outlines 21 separate action items in three areas of concerns, dealing with police encounters with citizens, responses to critical police incidents and a plan "for increasing and respecting diversity within the department."
"I have a lot of work to do. I have staff that has a lot of work to do on this," Halstead said Tuesday. "And we will do better."
The items include, among other things, a review of the department's Taser policy, a requirement for the chief to attend smaller neighborhood association meetings to hear citizen concerns and to increase the number of minority police officers as well as multi-cultural training for all officers.
"I gave [the city council] my word to them, that I will model these behaviors and we will move forward," Halstead said.
The action plan requires that the chief update the council starting in December 2014 and throughout 2015. Cooke said his office will also be involved in following the progress.
"The city manager's office will be directly involved in monitoring the progress of the action plan," Cooke said on Tuesday.
The plan also calls for improved relations with minority police officer associations. Just last month, after the Coleman Report was released, the president of the Fort Worth Black Law Enforcement Officers Association called for the chief's removal. But the city council believes the chief can make the necessary changes.
"The council and I, along with the city manager, believe that the chief is fully capable of this, he will take care of the situation," Mayor Betsy Price said on Tuesday.
Leaders in the black community say they will work with the plan, but at least one worries it doesn't go far enough.
Rev. Kyev Tatum, of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, told NBC 5 by phone he would like to see more measurable goals in the plan. Tatum says there are many in the community though that feel this is a step in the right direction. While he worries there isn't enough bite to the plan, he will work with it to help his community.
The FWBLEOA did not return our calls for comment on the plan or the vote of confidence in the chief.
