Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia says he’s tweaking rules for off-duty police officers who work as security staff. This comes after a trail ride and concert in Southern Dallas in early April ended with 26-year-old Kealon Gilmore dead and 16 injured.
Five Years Ago, Five Officers Were Killed Downtown How Has July 7 Changed Dallas? dmagazine.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dmagazine.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Each has been on the Dallas Police force for nearly 30 years.
Hopkins said body cameras worn by police and cell phone videos are critical to the ongoing conversation about policing.
“It gives you an upfront visual on a lot of the complaints that African-Americans have had for years,” said Hopkins.
The two latest incidents drawing national attention, the police shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota and the traffic stop of a Black Army Lieutenant in Virginia, were both caught on camera.
Hopkins said these incidents affect officers, especially Black men and women who wear the badge.
“Most definitely,” Hopkins said. “Your friends and your family will doubt what you do sometimes. If they know you and they know your heart, they kind of know who you are, but they’ll say ‘but them other ones’ – it’s just this constant bombardment when these incidents continue to happen.”