FORT WORTH (CBS11) - Fort Worth city leaders are showing support for Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald.

It comes after the Fort Worth Police Officers Association criticized the chief and released a police officers survey ranking Chief Fitzgerald's performance as a 4 on a 1 to 10 scale.

The association is turning the results over to the city.

But Fort Worth City Manager David Cooke told CBS11 Monday evening, "Communication starts with conversation, especially on a complex topic like employee morale. I support Chief Fitzgerald and his team.  He's cultivating a department that approaches problems differently and one that embraces best practices and attitudes for a service-oriented and community focused department."

Earlier in the day Chief Fitzgerald responded with this statement:

"I have more questions about the timing and the tactics than I do about the content of this POA-styled "survey" because of the unscientific nature of the questions and the low participation rate.  In addition, the results dramatically contradict the professional all-employee survey from 2016.  Nevertheless, I stand ready to meet with the POA so we can identify and resolve membership concerns.  Most importantly, we must work collaboratively to be an exemplary department that is service-minded, community oriented and effective in accomplishing its mission."