A white woman falsely claiming to be a Fort Worth police officer harassed a group of girls playing in a public park in Texas this week.
In a viral video that was posted on Twitter, several teen girls are seen hanging out at Frank Kent’s Dream Park in the Trinity Park neighborhood of Fort Worth on Wednesday around 3:41 p.m local time. In the one-minute clip, one youth is swinging on an oversized orange swing when a woman dressed in a blue and white tracksuit orders the girl to get off the playground.
“Stop. It’s a children’s park. Stop now,” the unidentified woman says.
When one of the teens calmly responds, “we are children,” the woman aggressively confronts her and begins hurling expletives at the group and alleging to be an officer.
“No you’re not,” she says, pounding on the swing. “…I’m a f–king PD, so get the f–k out of here now if you’re not here to play as a child.”
The girls are seen standing around in shock, questioning why the woman is cursing and if she is on duty.
As one teen, who says she is 15 years old, tries to reason with the woman, the alleged cop threatens to arrest her.
“You’re not a f–king child. Thirteen or younger,” the woman says, suggesting there is an age limit to play on the recreation ground. An article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Dream Park, which opened in April, is “an inclusive park that accommodates children of all ages.”
“You provoked yourself as a child, and you’re not. I can literally arrest you as a f–king adult. Which is your choice? Are you a child or a goddamn adult? Go. Get out of here,” she says, storming away as the video cuts off.
In the last 24 hours, users have been messaging the Fort Worth Police Department’s Twitter account demanding answers.
On Wednesday night, the account tweeted that the woman was not an officer in their department.
“We have received numerous mentions & messages regarding a woman in a park claiming to be “PD” & using vulgar & inappropriate language toward youth & children. She does NOT appear to be a #FortWorth police officer,” FWPD said.
Thursday morning, the department tweeted an update confirming the woman is not an FWPD officer but that she is a local resident and that they are investigating the incident for “several potential criminal charges, including impersonating a public servant and disorderly conduct.”
On Twitter, users have applauded the girls for ensuring the video be investigated by law enforcement and called out the woman’s hypocrisy for yelling expletives while kicking youth out of a children’s park.