Over 60 Dallas Police Department recruits went through preliminary physical testing on Thursday at department headquarters only two days after two police officers were shot in the line of duty, one of whom died.
Officer Rogelio Santander died Wednesday morning after succumbing to his injuries sustained in a shooting Tuesday. The 27-year-old is the ninth North Texas officer to be killed in the line of duty in about two years, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The testing for police recruits had been scheduled weeks prior and the new members showed up to take the test.
"You would think it would deter people but the complete opposite is happening,” said Sgt. George Aranda, who works in recruiting.
Aranda says the turnout was larger than normal as the department tests recruits for the next three days. Many of the men and women who showed up said the actions of Officers Santander and Almeida reinforced their belief in becoming police officers.
"After everything the Dallas Police Department has been through I figured why not give back," said David Figueroa, a recruit who served in the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The recruits were tested on strength, agility and endurance. If the recruits go on to enter the academy, it will be about another year and a half before they become officers. The process is rigorous and Dallas police say less than 20 percent of those who attend the preliminary testing will become officers.
