Fort Worth's police chief reflects as he retires
After leading the Fort Worth Police Department for four and a half years, Chief Neil Noakes is stepping down, citing a desire to spend more time with family. His departure comes as violent crime in the city continues to decline.
Homicides have dropped for three consecutive years, with aggravated assaults and burglaries also down. Noakes credits the success to a flexible crime plan that allowed officers to adapt to real-time trends, along with strong support from city leaders and the community.
"I'm happy to say that I'm not leaving because the department is a bad department, or the city is a bad city. There is no better department to work for in the country," Noakes told CBS News Texas.
Noakes said the decision to leave was difficult but ultimately driven by family priorities, especially with a second grandchild on the way.
Highs and lows
Despite the department's progress, Noakes' tenure was not without controversy. In 2023, a high-speed police chase through a residential area ended in the death of an innocent driver.
"I'm so sorry it happened," Noakes said. "Any time a life is lost, it's tragic. That shouldn't have happened."
Noakes declined to answer questions about the officers' responsibility in the incident, citing advice from city attorneys. Internal records show none of the officers involved in the pursuit faced disciplinary action.
Nearly two years after the crash, details of the chase remain undisclosed. Noakes has refused to release the department's full vehicle pursuit policy, despite a directive from the Texas attorney general.
"We released most of the policy," he said. "There are some tactics that we use in pursuits that we don't want our criminals to know about. We don't want to broadcast information that could compromise the efforts of these officers, put them in danger, and put citizens in danger because maybe the criminals know our policy so well. And don't think they wouldn't look."
The city remains in a legal dispute with the attorney general over the matter.
Mental health matters
One of Noakes' proudest accomplishments is the department's renewed focus on mental health.
"Here's how we dealt with mental health when I started: 'suck it up. There's more calls. Get back out there and do your job,'" Noakes said. "That is not acceptable. That is so tragic that we ever dealt with it that way."
Under his leadership, the department launched a wellness unit to support officers and their families. It also introduced the Respond Restore Resolve (R3) initiative, a non-clinical resiliency training program for first responders.
"There are things that officers see that no human being should ever have to witness. And the problem is they see it over and over and over again," he said. "What we're doing with R3 is an amazing resiliency training and it's non-clinical in nature, meaning we don't wait until they're broken and then try and fix them."
A legacy of service
Noakes said he hopes to be remembered as a leader who cared deeply about the department and the community.
"I hope they see me as someone who really cared. Not just about city or department, but the people in the city and the people in the department," he said. "Somebody who made mistakes but tried his best. I've always tried to encourage people to be humble, to be servant leaders, and if any of those words are thrown out at some point in the future, I'll be happy with that."
Chief Noakes' last day with the Fort Worth Police Department is Saturday.
