Dallas police officers turned up the heat Wednesday on Dallas City Hall with a list of security requests in the wake of a June 13 gun attack on Dallas Police Headquarters.
Dallas Police Association President Ron Pinkston hand delivered a letter to the mayor's office before Wednesday's City Council meeting.
"These fixes have to be made," Pinkston said. "It needs to be done now. We can't 'kick the can down the road,' as City Council likes to talk about."
The improvements the officers are demanding include:
- Bullet-proof glass at headquarters on South Lamar Street
- Shatter-resistant film on glass at substations
- 24-hour video surveillance of police parking lots
- Fences with limited-access gates where officers park
"It has to start now, and the council has to be on board with this," Pinkston said.
The headquarters attacker got away before he was finally cornered and killed near Hutchins. No officers were injured, but Pinkston said it could have ended much differently.
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"Officers always believe something like this is going to happen," Pinkston said. "We deal with major criminals every day, and that's why we've been asking for these fixes for a couple of years. Nobody was paying attention. Well, they're paying attention now and the fixes have to occur."
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said Police Chief David Brown is still considering what improvements he will recommend and how much it will cost.
"Our police officers are very important. They keep our citizens safe, and we want to keep them safe. But we want to do it the right way, within the budget constraints and make sure that we do it efficiently," Rawlings said.
The mayor said money will be included in the new city budget council members were discussing Wednesday.
