Olaf Growald
Locals watching Tuesday night's presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden likely weren't expecting moderator Chris Wallace to name drop "Fort Worth" on national TV.
But it certainly got everyone's attention when Wallace mentioned crime spiking in Republican-led cities like Tulsa and Fort Worth.
In response, Mayor Betsy Price tweeted Wednesday: "While I acknowledge Fort Worth's homicide percentage increase is eye-catching, when looking at the raw data (see attached charts) our numbers are lower than other major cities. The unfortunate reality is crime has increased across the nation, and Fort Worth is not immune. On September 15, I publicly requested an update on violent crime and measures taking place to reduce violence across our entire city.
"Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I do not see this as a partisan issue as one life lost is one too many.
"Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, Fort Worth continues to prioritize public safety and has efforts underway including violent crime details and partnering with other law enforcement agencies."
Price posted the following chart alongside her response, which depicts the homicides and homicide rate of 10 large Texas cities, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Police Department's Homicide Reporting, and U.S. Census Bureau.
According to the chart, Fort Worth's homicide rate per 100,000 residents was 6.38 in 2018, 7.92 in 2019, and 7.59 in 2020 as of Sept. 14.
