The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas on Tuesday announced the expansion of the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative to a second Fort Worth location to combat violent crime.
The expansion includes Historic Southside, Hillside, Morningside, Fairmount, Ryan Place, Worth Heights and other Southside neighborhoods and commercial areas along Interstate 35 West, with I-30 at the northern border and Seminary Drive near the southern point, a map presented during a press conference shows.
The area was selected after examining violent crime data for “violence, gangs, drugs and firearms offenses” from local police departments, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould said.
“Going forward as a collaborative effort, our mission is to remove violent criminals from these streets and restore safety for homes and businesses,” he said.
A press conference was held on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, to announce the expansion of Project Safe Neighborhoods to a second Fort Worth area, shown on the map as neighborhoods on the city’s Southside along I-35W. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
The 20-year-old initiative is targeted to take down large networks of organized criminals distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine or illegal guns and to focus on violent offenders with extensive criminal histories, Raybould said. Project Safe Neighborhoods already operates in another part of the city encompassing east Fort Worth neighborhoods such as the Stop Six and Poly areas.
“It marshals together federal, state and local law enforcement officials, prosecutors, both at the federal and state level, and community leaders, to address the unique criminal issues occurring in a particular neighborhood or area,” Raybould said.
Talking about an example of the success of this operation, he said that two defendants — Eduardo Valdez and Jose Antonio Torres — who were investigated by ATF, DEA and the Fort Worth Police Department were prosecuted by U.S. Attorney’s Office for selling machine gun conversion devices called Glock switches.
“Ultimately, that investigation led to lengthy prison sentences, 94 months for both of them combined,” Raybould said. “This case highlights the rising prevalence of these dangerous illegal weapons, many that can easily be converted to automatic weapons, effectively machine guns.”
An important component of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program’s strategy is community engagement, Raybould said. It provides a forum for community leaders and residents to talk with officers and agents who investigate crimes in these neighborhoods, he said.
“We want to encourage residents to speak up, know who to call, and feel comfortable even serving as a witness if called upon in a federal or state prosecution of the crimes that they in fact witnessed or reported,” Raybould said.
Ryan Raybould, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, speaks during a press conference to announce the expansion of Project Safe Neighborhoods to a second Fort Worth location on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at the Sycamore Community Center. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Fort Worth, the 11th largest city in the United States, is “on the rise” with a growing population, and authorities want to stop crime, Raybould said. “So the message to the criminals out there is stop, and we will hold you accountable for what you did to our community,” he said.
Drug trafficking is inevitably linked to violent crime, from the “extreme violence of transnational criminal organizations to street-level dealers,” Joseph Tucker, special agent in charge of DEA Dallas, said.
“We’re going to make sure that we hold accountable those who threaten our communities with the help of these other law enforcement agencies,” Tucker said.
“We all share a role in fighting violent crime. When we stand together with law enforcement community leaders and residents, we make our community safer,” said Joseph Rothrock, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas office.
Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Phil Sorrells and Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn at a press conference to announce the expansion of Project Safe Neighborhoods to a second Fort Worth location on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at the Sycamore Community Center. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative to bring together federal, state, local and community organizations to work toward decreasing violent crime. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com 
Ryan Raybould, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, speaks during a press conference to announce the expansion of Project Safe Neighborhoods to a second Fort Worth location on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at the Sycamore Community Center. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Local law enforcement officials, included representatives from the Fort Worth Police Department and the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, also attended Tuesday’s announcement.
“Good citizens of Fort Worth, your neighborhood is just about to be safer because of this collaboration,” Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn said.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Shambhavi covers crime, law enforcement and other breaking news in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. She graduated from the University of North Texas and previously covered a variety of general assignment topics in West Texas. She grew up in Nepal.