WATCH: Fort Worth Police make Kendrick Lamar-inspired diss track after Dallas PD puts up billboard

The Brief

The Fort Worth Police Department channeled rapper Kendrick Lamar for their new recruiting video.
They released a song parodying “Not Like Us” after Dallas PD put up a recruitment billboard in Fort Worth.
In the song, they bring up 14 officers who moved departments from Dallas to Fort Worth.

FORT WORTH, Texas – The Fort Worth Police Department put out a Kendrick Lamar-inspired diss track directed toward Dallas after a billboard to recruit new officers went up in the city.

On Friday, Fort Worth PD put out a music video set to a beat similar to Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”

Fort Worth Police’s “Not Like Us” parody

The video shows an officer driving past a Dallas Police recruitment billboard that went up in Fort Worth and shaking their head before the song begins.

“Say D, I see you like our city. Throwing up print stuff, that’s a real pity,” raps the officer at one point.

The song then brings up a number of local officers who made the jump from DPD to Fort Worth.

“Numbers don’t lie, why you throwing up a board? Last time I checked, we took 14 of yours,” the officer raps.

In the video, a DPD badge is shown getting knocked off of officers sleeves, revealing the Fort Worth police badge.

“What you thinking little d, aren’t you tired? Every time we open up we fill up when we hire,” the rap continues.

In the post featuring the video, Fort Worth Police included links for police trainees or current officers looking to make a move to another department.

“Let me know what y’all think of our latest recruiting video! [The Fort Worth Police Department] has nothing but love for [Dallas PD],” wrote Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes on social media.

Dallas Police hiring struggles

After nearly two hours of spirited debate, the city council passed a nonbinding resolution to beef up recruiting numbers within the Dallas Police Department. But instead of adding 325, they dropped the requirement to 300 this fiscal year.

Why you should care:

While the video was made in good fun, it does point to the continued efforts by the City of Dallas to bring in police officers.

For most of the last decade, the Dallas Police Department has struggled to recruit and retain police officers.

Last November, Dallas residents approved a ballot initiative requiring the city to increase the number of officers to 4,000. That’s roughly 900 more than the city currently employs.

Dallas City Council has cut back on hiring goals, due to the efforts it would take to train and onboard new officers.

Despite the staffing concerns, Interim Police Chief Michael Igo recently said overall violent crime is down 15% in the city.