Police in North Texas are reacting to the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, including in one department, where a new chief is about to take office.
The massacre proves just how much the job has changed, for cops sworn to protect and serve.
Derick Miller started as a patrol officer in 1993, working the roads of Carrollton. He says the difference in law enforcement then compared to now is like night and day.
“A lot has changed, what officers have to do,” he says.
The world too, has changed. Outside Carrollton Police Department, flags fly at half-staff, to honor the victims of Sutherland Springs. Twenty-six people died in the shooting Sunday. It was the worst mass shooting in Texas history.
“This is a situation that is horrible,” said Miller. “My heart and prayers go out to the victims. I can't even imagine this."
On November 20, Miller becomes Carrollton's new police chief. With the latest shooting, and other incidents – including the Las Vegas Concert shooting and the ambush on Dallas Police officers two years ago, protect and serve takes on a new meaning.
“We don't have the luxury of saying that's not going to happen here,” said Miller. “We have to prepare and be ready for anything."
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Just this past weekend, Carrollton hosted a free rock concert in a public place. More than 40,000 people showed up. The new chief says there is so much work that's done by law enforcement behind the scenes to keep people safe, that they never really notice.
“The only thing I would say in all venues, we have to be hyper-vigilant as we go about our daily business,” he said.
Miller was in church himself, when he heard the news of Sutherland Springs.
“To be at a church and to hear it was at another church, it was horrible,” he said.
It weighs heavy on his mind. A situation Miller says police just didn't train for, when he first came on the job.
“We have extremely capable police officers,” he said. “And we're ready and stand ready to protect our communities."
