About the
Fort Worth Police Department
Fort Worth is located
within North Central Texas. In 1876, "Longhair" Jim Courtwright was given the
difficult task of policing this roaring cowtown. With his reputation as a scout, a performer in Wild Bill Hickock's Wild West
Show, and possessing a noted dexterity with firearms, Courtwright was able to give City Fathers what they wanted--a town where
money and liquor flowed, but where bloodshed was cut to a trickle. It was under Courtwright that a "police force" was created--the
authorization to fill two positions with men to assist him in his duties. A reputation went a long way in those days, and
Courtwright's reputation with a gun was enough to make many men think twice before trying something that might draw the Marshal's
attention. Reportedly as fast or faster than most famous gunmen of his time, Courtwright was able to reduce the number of
killings in Fort Worth to less than at any time before or since”
Today the Fort Worth
Police Department is broken down into six bureaus--Executive, North/West Field Operations, South/East Field Operations, Special
Services, Operational Support, and Administrative Services--the work is then further split into more specialized units. Each
unit within a division has a specialized area of expertise. The Fort Worth Police Department has 1,439 sworn personnel and
approximately 362 non-sworn personnel.
The patrol and general
investigation functions of the Fort Worth Police Department are organized in four geographical divisions (north, south, etc.). The specialized units of the Fort Worth Police Department include: K9, Mounted Patrol,
Air Support, SWAT, Fugitive Unit, Gang Unit, School Security Initiative, Downtown Bike Patrol, and the Intelligence Unit.
The Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team was first titled Tactical when the unit was established 1980. The primary function
of the unit has always been to handle all Special Threat Situations involving barricaded subjects, sniper incidents, hostage
situations, dignitary protection, and crowd control.
The secondary function of the
unit is to assist other units within the department in the control of Part I offenses. This goal is addressed by the targeting
of known criminals and affecting arrests for crimes in progress. Recently, another very important assignment was given to
the SWAT Section. The unit is now responsible for training all sections of the Fort Worth Police Department in dynamic entry
techniques for search warrant execution. The SWAT Section also provides other tactical training courses as needed.
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David Cortez
is a former United States Marine who served one year with the Third Reconnaissance Battalion in Okinawa, Japan. Cortez is a graduate of Dallas Baptist University and holds a BA in business administration. He is a twenty-four
year veteran of the Fort Worth Police Department, where he currently serves as a sergeant in the Patrol Division. Among his
many assignments in police work are the Patrol Division, Vice, Intelligence, Narcotics, Burglary, Detective, Gang Unit, Federal
Drug Task Force, (known as Weed-n-Seed) and the Training Division.
David Cortez
currently trains police recruits in defensive tactics at the Tarrant County College Police Academy. He has trained several thousand police officers over the years in all issues involving the "use of force"
to include arrest control tactics, pepper spray, police baton and other impact weapons, gun retention, ground fighting, open-
hand control, and tactical communication. David Cortez has attended defensive
tactics instructor schools sponsored by the FBI, Ft. Worth Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety Defensive
Tactics Instructors Conference. He has also attended one arrest control tactics
instructors' course taught by Bob Koga.
During David Cortez's twenty-four year police career, he has received twenty-two police commendations, one award for
Exemplary Service and one award for valor. Sergeant David Cortez was also awarded
two Nick Fowler Top Instructor Award's at the Tarrant County College Basic Police Officer's Academy. David Cortez is the author of A
Personal Guide for Cabin and Cockpit Self Defense.
According
to the book description of A Personal Guide
for Cabin and Cockpit Self Defense, “This book outlines a variety of self defense related issues. First it recognizes
terrorism profound impact on the flight industry and the American way of life. Secondly, it draws informal parallels between
the current flight industry and our system of policing while defining some terrorist methods of operations. Moreover, the
book addresses a need foi a change in attitude and purpose as it relates to flight personnel. Varied issues involving fear,
emotional control, legality, personal attitudes, edged weapons defenses, and personal weapons, are delineated in this book..
What’s more, realistic self-defense measures are clarified for Cabin and Cockpit Defense. This book is a classic "HOW
TO" on Self-Defense and a must read for airline personnel, police and the military.”
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