The Fort Worth Police Department has acknowledged that an officer made inaccurate statements during a June 27 encounter at the Trinity Pride Festival and will provide refresher training on First Amendment protections. The admission followed the viral spread of a video showing an officer warning street preacher Rich Penkoski that he could be cited for offensive speech.
The footage, originally posted to Instagram by @truefaithamerica and shared on X by @libsoftiktok, captures an exchange between the officer and Penkoski, who identified himself as a retired federal law enforcement officer with 26 years of service. The officer initially told Penkoski that if someone was offended by his talking, it created a problem. When Penkoski questioned whether he would be ticketed for offensive speech, the officer confirmed she intended to issue a citation, later describing the basis as disorderly conduct.
Penkoski pushed back, calling the threat a constitutional violation. The officer clarified that her concern was not the content of the speech itself, but rather complaints about the language being offensive. She noted that federal jurisdiction differed from local authority, adding that local officers could act if someone complained about offensive language.
Fort Worth police spokesman Buddy Calzada stated that the department reviewed the encounter and acknowledged the officer made certain statements that were not accurate. The department maintained that the ticket was originally issued to fellow preacher David Grisham, stemming from his use of a bullhorn in violation of the city's noise ordinance, not the content of his speech.
Most reactions in the comments sided with the preacher. One commenter wrote, "Viewpoint discrimination. The greatest First Amendment sin." Another directed criticism at the department itself, writing, "@fortworthpd WTH is wrong with your department? This is getting embarrassing how many times I keep seeing my local PD demonstrating how pathetically trained these officers are on the most basic of rights."
