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Fort Worth Police Equip Patrol Cars with Life-Saving AED Technology

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Business Honor
17 February, 2026

Innovative Initiative Transforms Police Vehicles into Mobile Emergency Medical Response Units.

The Fort Worth Police Department is implementing a new and innovative program to improve public safety and health by providing each of its patrol cars with Automated External Defibrillators because of an incident where Officer Terrence Parker's life was saved by AEDs. The Tarrant County Nation of Lifesavers Committee unanimously approved the proposal to equip each patrol vehicle with an AED and expressed their belief that doing so would save lives within our communities.

Committee Chair Matt Zavadsky stressed the fact that because police officers are typically the first responders to medical emergencies, having access to AEDs in patrol vehicles will provide the police with an effective means of intervention prior to the arrival of EMS. The use of AEDs in patrol vehicles will directly reduce the time it takes for EMS personnel to arrive for scenes of medical emergencies, thus enhancing their ability to save lives in the event of a medical emergency requiring defibrillation.

Parker, now healed, gives credit for surviving to the defibrillator and his fellow workers. "If there wasn’t a Defibrillator there, I wouldn’t be here," he stated, pointing out how critical having the right training and the ability to access Emergency Medical Technology quickly is to save lives. This is one example of the trend towards Public Safety to have advanced Medical Equipment available to first responders.

In addition to potentially saving lives, this proactive approach also helps to change the perception that law enforcement’s role in providing for the health and safety of the community is growing. The initiative will serve as a model for other departments who might consider similar types of life-saving technological integration into their operating procedures.