Fort Worth violent crime drops sharply in 2026, Chief credits data technology and community partners

“I’ve loved my time here. We take this seriously; we want to bring justice, we want to keep people safe,” said Chief Eddie Garcia.

Violent crime is trending downward in Fort Worth, and Police Chief Eddie Garcia says a data-driven approach, combined with the work of officers and community partners, is helping make the city safer.

“We talk about trends constantly,” Chief Garcia said.

From January through August, Fort Worth recorded fewer murders, robberies, and aggravated assaults compared with the same period in 2025, according to police data. Murders dropped 36%, from 54 in the first eight months of 2025 to 35 this year. Robberies fell nearly 40%, from 436 to 269. Aggravated assaults also declined by about 15.5%. Sexual assaults saw a smaller decrease, falling from 312 cases to 307.

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Garcia credits much of the progress to the men and women of the Fort Worth Police Department.

“The men and women are doing extraordinary work,” Garcia said. “Any chief’s job is to make sure they put their people in the right places to succeed.”

Garcia said the department relies heavily on data and criminology studies to determine where resources can have the greatest impact.

“We’re very data-based, obviously working with the criminologist for a myriad of different things,” Garcia said. “Obviously, technology has been incredibly helpful.”

That technology includes FLOCK cameras, automatic license plate readers, which have become the subject of debate in communities across Texas. Garcia has defended the technology as an important tool for investigators and officers as the department works to identify suspects and prevent crime.

But police say technology is only one piece of the strategy. Garcia also points to partnerships with grassroots organizations working to prevent violence before it happens. One example is VIP, a group that mentors people at risk of becoming involved in crime, as well as those trying to leave that lifestyle.

“We try to do our best to identify groups,” Garcia said. “Some get funding, some others don’t.”

Another organization working in the community is Mothers of Murdered Angels, founded by Melinda Hamilton after losing members of her own family to gun violence.

“I lost my grandson in 2020, and I lost my daughter in 2018,” Hamilton said.

For years, Hamilton has worked with families and young people through community outreach aimed at preventing bullying and gun violence.

Seeing fewer victims of violence is encouraging, she said.

“It makes me think about some of the things that we’re doing in other organizations that are out there trying to prevent the bullying and the gun violence,” Hamilton said.

As Garcia approaches one year as Fort Worth’s police chief, he said the department isn’t taking the decline in violent crime for granted.

“The majority of violent crime is committed by a relatively small percentage of the population,” Garcia said.

The goal, he said, is to intervene before people become repeat offenders, while making clear that police will continue to hold people accountable for those who threaten others.

“We want to help you get out of that life,” Garcia said. “But if you do not, we will not allow you to hurt our city.”