The San Antonio Police Department sent about 30 officers to Dallas Wednesday morning to cover for police officers mourning the loss of their slain colleagues.
A string of funerals and visitations for the five Dallas officers murdered in Thursday’s attack are being held throughout the week. In the days since the shooting, SAPD Chief William McManus reached out to Dallas Police Chief David Brown, who welcomed the support.
“Brown said, ‘Hey, you know what? We really need some extra bodies,” said SAPD Sergeant Jesse Salame. “‘Our guys are really running on empty. We’d like our guys to be attending some of the funerals as well.’”
Salame said the officers will work in the funeral processions, direct traffic, handle security details, and may even respond to calls—likely alongside Dallas officers.
Salame said sending support to Dallas will not impact staffing levels or public safety in San Antonio.
“We’re still going to have the same amount of cops that we have on the streets on a daily basis,” Salame said. “We’re still going to be equipped with anything that comes our way and keep our citizens safe.”
Aside from the 30 SAPD officers who will work in Dallas, additional police from the Alamo City and around the country will be there to pay their respects.
“This was kind of an unprecedented event for us, and we wanted to step up however we could,” said Salame. “I have no doubt in my mind that if the roles were reversed, that we’d have Dallas and Austin and Houston all offering the same kind of support to us and we’d be more than happy to accept it.”
The final funeral is scheduled for Saturday. SAPD officers will remain in Dallas until Sunday.
