FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF)- The Fort Worth Police Department was awarded a $500k grant from the U.S Department of Justice to help reduce crime in the city.
“It was a competitive grant. Very competitive,” said Deputy Chief Neil Noakes. “There weren’t that many awarded across the country out so we are very blessed to receive this grant. It’s going to do a lot of good for a lot of people in Fort Worth communities,” he said.
Noakes says the department is giving the money to community organizations to help prevent youth gang and gun violence in south and south east Fort Worth neighborhoods.
He said one of the most exciting components of the program is the prevention aspect because they know they can’t arrest their way out of the problem.
“Although we have some amazing men and women in the FWPD who do great work every day. There are some things we can’t do in the communities but those who grew up there can,” said Noakes. “So with these funds, we are able to give back to the community, take a back seat, and let them lead a program where they’re empowering their own community and making a change from within,” he said.
The money is going to a community program called VIP Fort Worth.
It’s lead by Rodney Mcintosh, a pastor at Christ the Risen King Church in Fort Worth’s Stop Six neighborhood.
“We are not expecting these young men and women to come to us we are going to them. Going out into the community and reaching out as much as needed and building relationships that can change their lives,” he said.
Mcintosh says the goal is not to criminalize them but to give them an avenue or a way out.
The money will fund educational programs, like anger management, conflict resolution and de-escalation. It will also be used for things like ‘transformation travel’ to give kids the opportunity to experience what’s outside of their communities.
He said this expands their horizons, showing them there’s more out there, and more opportunities outside of their communities
“So many times in these communities we become trapped, we become a product of our own environment,” he said.
McIntosh knows from experience, he’s been there. He said going from an ex-gang member to now a pastor, it’s things like this that really make an impact in peoples lives.
“I just want to give them an opportunity to see something different because it did so much for me when I was able to see there’s so much more to this world,” said Mcintosh.