Mattie Parker discusses police oversight, Aaron Dean trial

FORT WORTH, Texas — One of essentially the most contentious points in Fort Worth politics is how one can enhance policing.

Fort Worth metropolis council narrowly rejected a plan for a police oversight board in November.

In December, town watched as former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean was convicted of manslaughter for capturing and killing Atatiana Jefferson in her residence in 2019.

Then, Tuesday, police chief Neil Noakes revealed his model of a plan to get group enter on policing.

There’s a give attention to elevated accountability and transparency on policing in Fort Worth that received’t fade.

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker sat down with WFAA to debate the citizen overview board, race and policing within the metropolis and her response to the Dean trial.

“I think to be a good mayor you have to be pro-police and pro-community at the same time,” Parker mentioned.

She’s trying to stroll that line however obtained criticism after her vote to reject the police oversight board.

“Candidly, I do not regret my vote,” Parker mentioned. “What I should have done as mayor is talk to my community and say this is not the right time to do this in the middle of an election season in November, prior to the trial concerning Atatiana Jefferson’s murder, this was not the right time to do so.”

Advocates have been pushing for the oversight board since a viral arrest of a Fort Worth mom seven years in the past. The arrest led to the creation of a race and tradition process drive which supplied a sequence of suggestions to town together with the police oversight board.

After a 12 months of labor and changes to how the board would function, the vote failed 5-4 after Parker’s no vote together with councilmembers Carlos Flores, Michael Crain, Alan Blaylock and Leonard Firestone.

She emotionally referenced Jefferson’s demise throughout dialogue of the vote saying she didn’t assume Jefferson would have died the identical approach if she’d lived in Parker’s neighborhood.

“Had the same thing happened at my home, I wondered if possibly those officers would have knocked on the door first, asked the questions,” Parker advised WFAA.

She hasn’t spoken concerning the trial since Dean was sentenced to 11 years, 10 months and 12 days in jail.

“It was an incredibly difficult time for me personally and for our city,” Parker mentioned. “At the end of the day, no one really won a young woman’s life is tragically lost. Her dreams will never be realized, and her family is completely split apart because of her death.”

Instead of an oversight board, town created the workplace of police monitor in 2020 and employed Kim Neal for the position. The workplace labored to construct group relationships with out face-to-face connections through the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and final 12 months dealt with 41 police complaints, up from 16 in 2021.

Neal just lately left town for the same position in Arlington, Virginia. In an exit interview with WFAA, she mentioned she felt there was a racial divide in Fort Worth.

“There is a racial divide on the issue of policing. I do feel strongly about that,” Neal mentioned. “We have different communities that have different experiences with police.”

“I do believe that’s true,” Parker mentioned. “If someone feels like they’ve been over-policed and it’s created a lack, a lack of trust in their communities, but at the same time, they know they need police in their communities.”

Chief Noakes revealed a brand new plan Tuesday for a board that may advocate insurance policies and procedures however would examine complaints and Noakes would appoint its members. He introduced 13 names of individuals prepared to tackle roles.

Several metropolis council members pushed again towards the thought as a alternative for the oversight board group leaders have pushed for over a number of years.

Councilwoman Gina Bivens known as it a “slap in the face.”

“It’s unfortunate that the wishes of the people, the race and culture task force, who called for an oversight committee, that has been ignored,” Bivens mentioned.

Parker calls it a constructive step and says police are already closely scrutinized.

“The job at times feels really thankless and it’s incredibly dangerous job and in a seconds’ moment, right your whole life can change based on a decision that you made,” she mentioned. “The policing profession has now become probably the most investigated, closely monitored and trained profession in the entire country.”

Noakes introduced the committee as an possibility that would exist alongside a further oversight board, however the oversight board was already criticized for not being pointless as a result of police monitor position.

“I can tell you where my reservations lie now,” Parker mentioned. I believe there’s lots of redundancy and doubtlessly placing in one other process drive one other committee.”

Parker believes the hole in belief is closing and that it’ll take the entire metropolis, not simply police to totally heal it.

“We probably shouldn’t call them high crime areas,” she mentioned. “We call them neighborhoods that have needed investment for decades, and it’s the responsibility of a city government to think holistically about what the needs of a city are.”