By Tristan Hallman
The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS — Dallas Police Chief David Brown said Thursday that he is “proud” of officers for their work dealing with the arrival of Ebola in the city.
Dallas police officers have helped keep order at apartment complexes; notified residents about their neighbors testing positive for the virus; briefly stood watch over an Ebola patient’s dog; and tracked down a homeless man who officials were trying to monitor.
Brown thanked the officers during a promotional ceremony Thursday morning. He said finding the homeless man, especially, “was not an easy task” and credited officers for volunteering to look for him.
“Our officers have shown, as usual, great courage, a very high level of professionalism and really hadn’t shown much of a need to be out front and tell everyone that we’re courageous,” Brown said.
Dallas Fraternal Order of Police President Richard Todd said earlier this week he has asked local stores for donations of hand sanitizer and protective medical gear, and they have delivered so far.
Brown said Thursday that he has been talking to association leaders about precautionary measures to keep officers safe from Ebola and other viruses. He said the department has protocols for dealing with infectious people, but that they may not have been well conveyed previously. He said the department is reemphasizing the precautions.
“Like anyone else, we all have our concerns about our health and having to engage people who might be needing to be monitored or might be infected,” Brown said. “And we really just need to continue to do what we’ve been doing — set an example for the public, make sure we maintain order, make sure that we don’t encourage panic or encourage fear.”
Brown said he wanted his officers to know that the department is taking all precautions and knows how concerning Ebola can be.
“The psyche has a powerful pull on all of us,” he said.
Copyright 2014 The Dallas Morning News