Weatherford approves $25,000 participation in Tarrant County auto-crimes task force

The Weatherford City Council authorized the city manager to execute an interlocal assistance agreement to continue the city’s participation in the Tarrant County Regional Auto Crimes Task Force, a multi-jurisdictional unit that investigates motor vehicle theft and related offenses.

Chief Jason Hayes told the council the department’s continued participation requires a new yearly interlocal agreement and that Weatherford’s contribution to the task force is approximately $25,000. “Were seeing a 20 to 25% increase in our clearance rate” since joining the task force, Hayes said, adding the unit provides access to national databases, facial recognition tools and investigative support the city does not have in-house.

Hayes described the task force as a force multiplier, noting it was established in 1993, now includes investigators from more than a dozen agencies and serves an area with about 2.4 million residents. He said the task force’s mission has expanded beyond vehicle theft to include burglary of motor vehicles, theft of parts and vehicle-related fraud.

Councilmember Moe Rotem asked about local auto-theft trends; Hayes said Weatherford averages roughly 30 to 35 auto thefts a year and that most incidents are entry to unlocked vehicles with keys left inside. Staff recommended approval. A motion to authorize the agreement was made by Mayor Pro Tem and seconded by Luke Williams; the council approved the agreement by electronic vote.

Nut graf: The interlocal agreement continues Weatherford’s participation in a long-standing regional task force the police chief said has improved clearance rates and provides investigative resources not available to the city alone.

Discussion and next steps: The city will execute the interlocal agreement for the fiscal year and contribute the agreed amount; the police department will continue to forward motor-vehicle-related cases to the task force for investigation.