Dallas police chief tells protesters: 'We're hiring'
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Dallas Police Chief David Brown is reaching out to people who want to change the way police officers interact with community members.
"Don't be a part of the problem," Brown said Monday during a news conference. "We're hiring. Get out of the protest line and put an application in. We'll put you in your neighborhood." Brown said in recent years, there's been a sharp decrease in murder and violent crime rates in Dallas, but low pay is causing officers to leave for other departments where they are better compensated. He also said police officers are being asked to do "too much," and aren't equipped to deal with "societal failures" like drug addiction and mental health. "Policing was never meant to solve these problems," he added. "I ask other parts of our democracy as well as the free press to help us not put that burden on all law enforcement to resolve."
Despite the difficulties, "I love serving," Brown said. "But of all the crap we have to take as police officers, the satisfaction you get from serving is…gratifying."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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