Officer fired after pushing citizen to ground after lying about it: Fort Worth Police

AND Fort Worth Police The officer was fired after the department said he used unnecessary force when he pushed a citizen to the ground and then lied about the incident.

According to the department, on July 22, 2022, police officer José Salazar worked as a security guard outside a bar in Fort Worth when a person had a verbal disagreement on the street with staff.

The department said that as the man was leaving, Salazar pushed him to the ground. The department added that the man did not pose a threat to Salazar, who “used force to influence the person’s arrest.”

As the incident was investigated internally, Salazar was placed on limited duty and his police powers and authority were stripped.

The department did not share Salazar’s version of the incident, but said those investigating the use of force complaint found video surveillance of the incident that contradicted Salazar’s account of what happened.

At the conclusion of the investigation, Chief Neil Noakes and his chain of command agreed to fire Salazar from his job in the department after determining that he “used more force than necessary and that he lied in reporting this incident.”

“The Fort Worth Police Department is staffed with officers who do their jobs right every day,” the department said. “In this case, officer Salazar did not behave in a way that indicates the professionalism of our officers. Our department will continue to prosecute employees who do not meet the standards expected of a Fort Worth police officer, and in doing so, we will continue to be transparent and open with our community.”

The police did not say who filed a complaint about the use of force and whether the citizen who was knocked to the ground received any bodily injuries.

Salazar was fired on January 13, 2023. He was a 15-year veteran of the department and had been assigned to the dignitary protection department before he was sent to limited service.