Coronavirus News

Arlington's Globe Life Field opens as large-scale COVID-19 vaccination center

Be sure you're registered before you head over.

Photo by Kelly Gavin/Texas Rangers

UPDATE 3-16-2021: The COVID-19 Community Vaccination Center currently operating at Globe Life Field will move to Esports Stadium Arlington beginning Thursday, March 18, the city announced. "The transition means anyone who received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Globe Life Field will be scheduled to receive their second dose at Esports Stadium. There will be no delay in scheduling the second appointment," they say in a release. Read more about it here.

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After a couple days of "soft opening" trials, a COVID-19 community vaccination center at Arlington's Globe Life Field is set to open to the public on Friday, February 26.

The site will administer first- and second-dose COVID-19 vaccines, seven days a week for four weeks, then transition across the parking lot to AT&T Stadium (after Major League Baseball Opening Day).

All vaccine recipients must be registered through the Tarrant County Public Health website and meet the current state priority vaccine eligibility requirements (currently groups 1A and 1B).

According to a release, they expect to administer 3,000 shots per day, about 21,000 per week.

The White House announced February 10 that Arlington would be one of three Texas cities to host a large-scale vaccination center for Texas. The Arlington Fire Department and American Medical Response, with collaboration from the Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys, have been working with state and federal partners to ready Globe Life Field and AT&T Stadium for the mass vaccination site operations.

About 1,000 vaccines were administered in trial-runs leading up to Friday's official opening at Globe Life Field.

“The City of Arlington greatly appreciates the additional state and federal support in our fight against the coronavirus, as well as the partnership with the Cowboys and Rangers to help us host this additional mass vaccination effort," says Arlington mayor Jeff Williams in a release. "This collaboration means that thousands more people in our community will be protected from the virus, further reducing the strain on our local hospitals and allowing for us to return to normalcy more quickly."

At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Marines and Sailors from Camp Pendleton, California, have deployed to Arlington to operate the FEMA-supported vaccination site. U.S. Army North, the Joint Force Land Component Command of U.S Northern Command, will oversee the military COVID19 response operation in support of state and federal vaccination efforts, the release says.

“The Texas Rangers are honored to work with the City of Arlington, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and FEMA in the utilization of Globe Life Field as a major COVID-19 vaccination site," says Rob Matwick, Texas Rangers executive vice president for business operations, in the release. "We look forward to assisting thousands of individuals in getting vaccinated over the next several weeks."

The site is open 9 am-5 pm daily. Vaccine patients should park in Tundra Lot B, accessible from southbound Ballpark Way / Stadium Drive, just south of the Stadium Drive / Randol Mill Road intersection. Follow the city of Arlington's Facebook page for updates.

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Police News

Fort Worth police officer fired for unjustified use of force

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A Fort Worth police officer has been terminated following his involvement in a use of force incident. According to a release, Officer Matthew Krueger was let go on December 18, following an investigation into an incident involving someone who was videotaping his actions while he was on duty.

On Sunday, June 23, Fort Worth police officers responded to a hit-and-run collision near 1000 Foch St. The incident involved a suspected intoxicated driver who crashed into another vehicle and a structure before fleeing the scene on foot.

While officers were investigating, a woman approached them and used her cell phone to record their actions. Krueger asked and advised her multiple times to move across the street. When she failed to comply, she was placed under arrest.

During the arrest, Krueger used force to take the woman into custody, resulting in injuries that required medical care at an area hospital.

After being treated, the woman was released from the hospital, booked into jail, and charged with interference with public duties, resisting arrest and/or detention, evading arrest, and making a false alarm or report.

Krueger had been with the department for just under eight years and was assigned to the Patrol Bureau at the time of the incident.

The Fort Worth Police Major Case and Internal Affairs Units began immediate and congruent investigations. Krueger was transferred from Patrol to a unit with no public interaction, pending the outcome of the investigation.

After a review of the Internal Affairs investigation, Krueger’s chain of command determined that the level of force used was unjustified and violated departmental policy. Police Chief Neil Noakes concurred and terminated Krueger’s employment.

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