HISTORY OF THE FORT WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT
Sergeant Pieces Together Unique Documentation from Late-19th to Early-21st Century

FORT WORTH, Texas – Author Dale L. Hinz shares the colorful history of the Fort Worth Police Department from its inception through the 21st century and beyond in his new book, Panther’s Rest: History of the Fort Worth Police Department 1873-21st Century (published by AuthorHouse).
When troops withdrew from Fort Worth in 1853, state and county law enforcement agencies were the only protection for the citizens that settled there. In April 1873, a state charter of the town established the first law enforcement agency.
In the book, Hinz shares the police department’s chronological history. From the first black officer appointed in 1873, the first uniform and a number of technological advancements, this historical testament tracks the progress of one police department through more than a century of development.
Through the turmoil of Hell’s Half Acre in the late 1880s and the city’s gangster era in the 1940s and 1950s to the turbulent years of the 1960s and 1970s, the most deadly decade for the Fort Worth Police Department during which officers attended 10 funerals in 10 years, Hinz documents the many changes faced by the department.
At the turn of the century, Fort Worth has become one of the safest cities in the world, Hinz says. Panther’s Rest is the first publication geared specially to this department’s amazing history.
Hinz was born and raised in Fort Worth. After graduating from Arlington Heights High School in 1966, he attended and graduated from Texas Christian University. After his brother was killed in Vietnam in 1968, Hinz was the sole surviving son in his family. Unable to join the military, he chose to enlist in the Fort Worth Police Department in 1970. Throughout his 30-year career, he held a number of positions, including police dispatcher, patrolman and SWAT team member. He promoted to the rank of detective where he served for two and a half years before receiving another promotion to sergeant. Hinz also served in the Internal Affairs Division and as day-shift sergeant. He helped start the first Officer Survival Training School and instructed several police-related courses in the recruit academy before retiring in 1999. He lives with his wife, Kathy, and has three children. Panther’s Rest is his first book.

AuthorHouse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors. For more information, please visit www.authorhouse.com.