Police Department

LAKE

WORTH PD

City of Lake Worth and LakeWorth ISD expand partnership

Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, the City of Lake Worth and Lake Worth Police Department have partnered with the Lake Worth Independent School District to expand the School Resource Officer (SRO) program. The Lake Worth Police Department will now be the sole provider of law enforcement services to the district, including those campuses within the City of Fort Worth. This new partnership will increase the continuity between the two organizations while also providing additional law enforcement resources throughout the district.

The expansion of the SRO Program includes the addition of a supervisor and an officer for a combined total of four SROs. Together, this new team is committed to ensuring the safety and security of every student, along with every staff member and visitor, to all Lake Worth ISD campuses. In keeping with its core values and culture of excellence, the Lake Worth Police Department will assist the district in meeting the needs of all students in a collaborative partnership with staff members, parents, and the community.

MEET THE TEAM

Officer Marque Jones 7 years LE, prior to LE was full time six grade science teacher. (mjones@lakeworthtx org)

Sergeant Matt Rietfors 16 years LE (mrietfors@lakeworthtx.org) Officer Craig Williams 19 years LE (cwilliams@lakeworthtx org)

Officer Kelsey Jaronski 4 years LE, 6 years LE correctional (kjaronski@lakeworthtx org)

Real People. Real Relationships. A new level of community outreach.

Coffee With a Cop is a new community event hosted by businesses throughout Lake Worth that takes place once every two months. This community event is meant to bring members of the community and police department together to have real, face-to-face conversations without an agenda. The event’s motto is: Real People. Real Relationships and the goal is to create an opportunity for the police and the public to interact in a meaningful, authentic way. To learn more or to find the next Coffee With a Cop event, follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, NextDoor, and YouTube). We hope to see you there!

K-9 Program Increases Department Capabilities

Over the years, canine teams have been used by LWPD, but their use was sporadic and there was never more than one handler serving at any given time. With the reestablishment of the unit and the addition of two dog

Their canine partners are two Belgian Malinois who were imported from Holland last year and specifically selected to serve the Lake Worth community based on their skills and temperament. K-9 Harley (featured on the front cover) is three years old, and his counterpart K-9 Riggs is nearly two. Both K-9s are nationally certified in narcotics detection and patrol along with their handlers. For exclusive K-9 related content, be sure to follow the K-9 Unit on Instagram: @lakeworthpolice_K9.

Lake Worth Police Joins National ABLE Project

In June of 2022, the Lake Worth Police Department became the first nonrailroad law enforcement agency in Tarrant County be accepted into the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) ProjectTM, Georgetown University Law Centers national training and support initiative for U.S. law enforcement agencies committed to building a culture of peer intervention that prevents harm.

By demonstrating a firm commitment to transformational reform with support from local community groups and elected leaders, the Lake Worth Police Department joins a select group of more than 215 other law enforcement agencies and statewide and regional training academies from across North America

Those backing the Lake Worth Police Department’s application to join the program included Alliance for Children’s CEO Julie Evans, City of Lake Worth City Manager Stacey Almond, and Lake Worth Baptist Church Lead Pastor Zachary Hatton, who all wrote letters of support.

The ABLE project is also backed by prominent civil rights and law enforcement leaders from across the country. The evidence-based, field-tested ABLE Project was developed by Georgetown Law’s Center for Innovations in Community Safety in collaboration with global law firm Sheppard Mullin LLP to provide practical active bystandership strategies and tactics to law enforcement officers to prevent misconduct, reduce mistakes, and promote health and wellness.

ABLE gives officers the tools they need to overcome the innate and powerful inhibitors all individuals face when called upon to intervene in actions taken by their peers. For more information on the ABLE project, please visit their website at: www.law.georgetown.edu/ABLE.