By Shambhavi Rimal and Harrison Mantas
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes will retire from law enforcement effective at the end of May 2025, after 25 years of service to the city.
Noakes was appointed chief of police in 2021 by City Manager David Cooke. He began his law enforcement career with the Fort Worth Police Department on May 30, 2000.
Noakes, who recently became a grandfather, said he plans to spend more time with his family. Noakes, Cooke and Mayor Mattie Parker held a news conference Monday afternoon, Dec. 9, to discuss details of his retirement and the transition.
Noakes said three things that helped him make the decision to retire were faith, family and friends.
“I am so fortunate to have worked for the best police department in the world,” he said.
Noakes said it has been the highlight of his professional life to lead the department where he began his career.
“Fort Worth is special, it’s different and for me, it was always Fort Worth or nowhere,” he said.
The department and the city will be in good hands with the executive staff, officers, professional staff, volunteers and leaders at City Hall, Noakes said.
“My goal has always been to leave the department maybe a little better… and make sure whoever steps in next picks up the ball and runs with it and does even better,” he said.
“I will miss the people, relationships that I’ve been so fortunate to be able to develop in the department,” Noakes said. “I will enjoy being able to spend time with my beautiful wife and my kids and my grandchildren.”
The biggest challenge going forward is how the city is growing so rapidly, Noakes said. “We need more officers, we need more firefighters,” he said.
“The next person that comes in, as I understand, if they want their department to operate the correct way in the community, they’ve got to make sure they’re taking care of them first, their holistic well being, their holistic health, making sure they have the support they need,” he said.
Mayor Parker called Noakes a friend and said he “wears his heart on his sleeve.”
“I love this guy for the person he is, thank you so much for serving, and we look forward to what you do after your retirement, and importantly, thank you on behalf of the City of Fort Worth, because you truly have left this place better than you found it,” Parker said tearfully, her voice breaking with emotion.
The mayor and city manager thanked Noakes for announcing his plans in advance and giving the city time to search for a replacement.
“When you talk to chief for any length of time, you’ll know how much he loves the job, because you’ve got to love the job to be good at being a police chief,” Cooke said.
Cooke said Noakes has excelled at working with the community.
“When you have a community of a million people, and when you think of the diversity that we have here in the city of Fort Worth, his ability to work with all kinds of different people in the community is just outstanding,” Cooke said.
“Being the police chief, that’s one of the hardest jobs in public service. You give up essentially all your time to all the things going on in a major city,” Cooke said. “And he has led as police chief in just an extraordinary way.”
Noakes’ background
Noakes is a graduate of Tarleton State University and TCU. Before he was named chief in 2021, after the retirement of Ed Kraus, he had helped research and develop the city’s VIP Fort Worth program, which employs ex-gang members to stop gang violence before it happens.
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Noakes previously served as a deputy chief over the south patrol divisions. In seeking the chief position, Noakes was candid about how police need to build relationships in diverse communities. He vowed to break through barriers between police and the people they serve and he chose to step up to lead that effort. And as chief, he said, “I want to be someone who will listen.”
“I believe we need innovative leadership and genuine engagement with the citizens we serve,” he wrote in his cover letter. “Officers must be inspired to reject the notion that societal issues are not our problem. We have a duty to address the generational neglect that has occurred in undeserved communities and become part of the solution.”
Noakes took over the department at a time of low morale across the country after the tumultuous summer of 2020, but he said at the time that he saw the opposite in Fort Worth, where officers were committed to being more socially conscious.
“Those are qualities we must continue to cultivate in our department and emphasize as we recruit, hire and train our next generation of leaders,” he wrote.
One of the most pressing issues Noakes confronted as chief was a surge in violent crime, part of a nationwide trend that started in 2020. Fort Worth saw a 26-year high number of homicides that year, with 112 slayings.
He rolled out the Fort Worth Safe initiative in May 2021, a more strategic approach that combined community policing with technology and data. Whereas police typically responded to violent crime by sending as many officers as possible into an area, the department aimed to have a less invasive presence in communities while solving crime more efficiently and building relationships with residents.
Within about two months, the department said it had made 139 arrests including 39 gang members, brought 103 new felony charges and seized 79 weapons.
Not the only vacancy
Noakes’ retirement announcement comes as the City of Fort Worth is hiring a new city manager and Dallas also is seeking a new police chief.
Jay Chapa, who previously served as an assistant city manager, was named the finalist to succeed Cooke. The City Council will vote on whether to hire Chapa at its Dec. 10 meeting.
The city manager is responsible for the day-to-day operation of city government, hiring department heads like the police chief, overseeing the budget and carrying out the policies approved by the City Council.
Cooke announced in July he would step down from the position in February 2025 after serving as city manager for over 10 years.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia announced his resignation in September to become an assistant city manager in Austin . Michael Igo was named interim chief in October.
Council members praise Noakes
District 3 Council Member Michael Crain commended Noakes’ service to the city and his ability to collaborate between neighborhoods, businesses, and city leadership, in a text message to the Star-Telegram.
“His commitment to building morale within the police force and prioritizing officers’ mental and physical well-being has been exemplary, ensuring they are well-equipped to serve our residents,” Crain said.
Council Member Macy Hill said in a text message, “Congratulations to Chief Neil Noakes on his well-deserved retirement. On behalf of District 7 residents, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for your servant leadership and unwavering dedication to the men and women of the Fort Worth Police Department and to our entire city. While we celebrate Chief Noakes and his incredible career, we also recognize the tremendous void his departure leaves in our community and the department. ”
District 4 Council Member Charlie Lauersdorf said, “Chief Neal Noakes is the type of Police Chief that any city would be envious to have in its ranks. While I am truly saddened to see Chief Noakes go, I am beyond thankful for his 24 years of faithful service to protecting the residents and visitors of Fort Worth. In a day where policing has become that much more difficult, Chief Noakes proved time and time again that he was able to rise above politics and feelings, and always put the facts above all, while remaining sympathetic and understanding of the delicate situations in which he was faced.”
District 2 Council Member Carlos Flores called Noakes the embodiment of servant leadership.
“Neil Noakes led with respectful, compassionate, and faithful service to the residents of our city and police department,” Flores said in a text message to the Star-Telegram . “I wish him well in his future chapter of life and appreciate his wife, Kim and their children for sharing a husband and father with a grateful city and council.”
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