Ed Kraus Formally Named New Fort Worth Police Chief
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) — The city of Fort Worth has formally named Ed Kraus as the next police chief Thursday afternoon.
Kraus has been with the Fort Worth Police Department for 27 years and served as the interim chief for the past six months.
The new police chief said he's humbled by the confidence city leadership has shown in him while he took over the role in May, when former chief Joel Fitzgerald was fired.
During a news conference on Dec. 5, Kraus acknowledged some of the challenges the department has faced in the previous months — including the fatal shooting of Atatiana Jefferson.
WATCH: Fort Worth Police Department Holds News Conference With New Chief Ed Kraus
He said he understands police have a lot of work to do when it comes to rebuilding trust with the community, and says he has already brought in non-traditional partners to help train recruits.
"Talking about people with prior criminal records, people have that bad experiences with police at some point in their life," Kraus said. "We want them to come in and share with the recruits what those negative interactions with police have done to their impression of the police and how it has impacted their lives and their families lives."
He said the top thing the department needs to improve on is communication, and that he is also working to diversify the police force.