DPA Leader Wants Officer Names Kept Private
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas Police Association president Ron Pinkston on Tuesday morning urged the Dallas Police Department not to release the names of officers who are involved in deadly force situations. Pinkston made his plea in a letter sent to Chief David Brown.
The request comes after the deaths of several law enforcement officers across the country, including a deputy in Houston, and an attack on the Dallas Police Department's headquarters earlier this summer.
Pinkston is worried about the safety of police officers and their loved ones, saying that anti-police activists are "calling for the killing of law enforcement officers."
The current policy of releasing officer names, Pinkston said, puts the law enforcement officials and their families at risk. "With the recent surge in murders of law enforcement officers," Pinkston stated in his letter, "the men and women who proudly wear the badge -- and their families -- are in more danger than ever."
The Dallas Police Association's counseling program, Pinkston added, has doubled efforts to help families cope with the recent deaths of officers across the nation. By releasing the names of officers, Pinkston said, it "is adding to the burden of an already stressful profession."
Pinkston acknowledged that his request for a policy change goes against the traditional concept of transparency, but sees it as a necessary step in order to protect lives. "As the recent shooting of the DPD headquarters proves, there are unstable people in our community who seek to harm the officers," said Pinkston.