City Of Fort Worth: FWPD Releases Statement On Cite And Release

Press release from City of Fort Worth:

June 30, 2021

The Fort Worth Police Department issued a message to address questions the department has received about Tarrant County’s new cite and release program:

“The safety and well-being of the citizens of Fort Worth is of the utmost importance to the Fort Worth Police Department. We are serious about taking violent offenders off the streets and keeping our communities safe.

“The Fort Worth Police Department is participating in Tarrant County’s new cite and release program, which provides officers with the option of issuing a citation for certain Class A and Class B offenses in lieu of making a custodial arrest. The cite and release program in no way takes away an officer’s ability to arrest an offender. The decision to make a custodial arrest or utilize the cite and release program remains at the discretion of the investigating officer. Additionally, it does not prevent prosecution of offenses, it only provides another method through which a crime can be prosecuted.

“The cite and release program only applies under certain criteria that include specific nonviolent, low-level offenses. This program does not apply to violent offenses.

“What the cite and release program does is lessen the burdens on our officers by reducing the time spent on minor/nonviolent offenses. This allows them to get back into service more quickly, better serve our citizens and spend more time addressing violent crime.

“We believe the cite and release program will be another important step in increasing the efficiency of our officers as we all work together to reduce violent crime and keep Fort Worth safe.” 

This press release was produced by City of Fort Worth. The views expressed here are the author’s own.