North Texas

Dallas Police Still Overwhelmed by Community Support a Year After Ambush

The Wall of Honor inside the Dallas Police Department's southwest substation is a daily reminder of the dangers facing law enforcement.

The wall is full of pictures of police officers who were killed in the line of duty.

Outside the substation there is another daily reminder for officers. The blue ribbons and wooden stars with messages of hope, encouragement, and strength scrawled upon them remind officers that the communities they protect have their back.

"A child wrote "we got you covered" and it's means a lot," said Deputy Chief Albert Martinez, the southwest division chief, as he read from a red wooden star dangling from a tree outside the station. "They know that we're there for them, but at the same time the community is there telling us we're here to help you we've got you covered."

In the days, weeks, and months that followed the July 7 ambush, support for law enforcement in North Texas reached it's peak.

Children operated lemonade stands in several communities, raising tens of thousands of dollars in the process.

People donated protective equipment like bullet-proof vests.

Finding a hungry officer in Dallas was practically impossible given the army of residents dropping off food at patrol stations across the city almost nightly.

"We consider them family and we support them 200-percent," said Judy Brooks, president of the Kiest Park Community Group neighborhood association. "You can't ever thank them enough. You can't ever do enough."

Brooks' group held a feed the officers event shorly after the shooting. The organization works closely with the southwest division.

"They're putting their lives on the line, not just for their family, but for you and for me and everybody in the city of Dallas," Brooks said.

A year after losing three of his own officers on July 7 Martinez said the support back then and now has been overwhelming and continues to help the department heal and move forward.

"There's a lot of healing still going on in that building," Martinez said, pointing at the substation. "Through this, I think we have found more resources and the ability to find more concrete long-term solutions in community building and helping citizens."

Contact Us