At Fort Worth’s western border, a novel plan for police from nearby cities to step in

As they investigated shootings this year at two motels in White Settlement, police there learned from license plate readers on poles that the assailants drove from the scenes to Fort Worth.

The shooters’ destination was not clear to White Settlement officers in the moment, and there was no pursuit to the larger city.

The revelation that the assailants in crimes in adjacent cities come from and return to Fort Worth was not a surprise, and policing in such a circumstance works best when it is not restricted by jurisdiction boundaries, White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook said.

“South Las Vegas Trail, we are seeing a lot of narcotics activity. We are seeing a lot of violent felons coming into our town. And so we wanted an additional tool,” Cook said.

Under a plan that is novel in Texas, the police departments in White Settlement, Lake Worth and Fort Worth have reached an agreement to establish a concurrent enforcement jurisdiction.

The departments’ chiefs on Monday announced the plan that will mean that White Settlement and Lake Worth officers will at times stop vehicles and take calls in Fort Worth.

“Criminals don’t pay attention to boundaries,” Fort Worth Police Department Chief Neil Noakes said. “They don’t pay attention to city limits.”

Texas criminal procedure code allows for the agreement. White Settlement and Lake Worth officers will file municipal fine-only offenses with the Tarrant County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 on violations that occur outside their home cities.

This agreement authorizes White Settlement police to have jurisdiction on:

▪ South Loop 820 from Interstate 30 to Lake Worth bridge.

▪ West Freeway/IH 30 from South Loop 820 and Ridgmar Mall.

▪ The 300 block of Alta Mere Drive/State 183 to the 2100 block of Alta Mere Drive/State 183 to Westworth Village city limits.

▪ The 500 block of Bomber Road to the 1100 block of Bomber Road.

▪ The 8000 block of Shore View Drive to the 8800 block of Shore View Drive.

The agreement authorizes Lake Worth police to have jurisdiction on:

▪ Northwest Loop 820 from the Lake Worth city limits to Marine Creek Parkway.

▪ Northwest Loop 820 from the Lake Worth city limits to the Lake Worth Bridge.

▪ State 199 from the Lake Worth city limits to the Lakeside city limits.

▪ Cahoba Drive and Marina Drive from Northwest Loop 820 to State 199.

▪ All public roads within the commercial park north of northwest Loop 820, south of State 199, east of Dakota Trail and west of Northwest Center Drive.