Crossover Crime initiative

Northeast Tarrant County police agencies have joined forces to stretch the long arm of the law a little farther.
Colleyville police hosted the first Crossover Crime Meeting on Friday, May 14, at the Colleyville Justice Center, 5201 Riverwalk Drive. The quarterly meetings are part of a joint effort between the Bedford, Colleyville, Euless, Grapevine, Haltom City, Hurst, Keller, North Richland Hills, Richland Hills, Roanoke, Southlake, and Watauga police departments to outpace criminals and crime trends through enhanced information sharing.

"We have received overwhelming support from the area chiefs in initiating this Northeast Tarrant County Crossover Crime Group," said Chief Dye. "The Northeast Tarrant County law enforcement agencies already have a high level of cooperation and this will further strengthen our crime fighting abilities."

Designed for line level officers and first-line supervisors, the gatherings will allow police officers and sergeants to meet face-to-face and become more familiar with their counterparts. This networking should expedite the exchange of intelligence and facilitate faster responses to crimes that transcend city limits. The group will include investigators and patrol officers from all area cities coordinating efforts in collaborative crime reduction, increased apprehensions, and crime prevention.

Colleyville Police Chief Steve Dye, formerly with the Garland Police Department, and Dallas Police Deputy Chief Jan Easterling started a similar group a few years ago when crime on their respective borders started to increase but they weren't able to timely coordinate efforts between their officers. The meetings quickly resulted in several arrests and vital exchanges of intelligence. The pair soon brought in Richardson and Mesquite police to the meetings, which led to even more arrests.

Future meetings are planned for August, November, and February in Colleyville. Each agency will send patrol and investigative representatives along with items of interest to the meetings and any other first-line personnel they deem appropriate.