In the wake of the tragedy in Dallas on Thursday evening, local law enforcement officers have received an outpouring of support from the community, said Hot Springs Police Chief Jason Stachey.
Stachey said shock and sadness were two emotions that he felt simultaneously upon hearing the news of the police officer shootings in Dallas; a sadness for his brothers and sisters on the police force, locally and across the country, and especially in Dallas.
"I've got a good friend who was a member of the Dallas Police Department. I emailed him just to let him know that he and the Dallas P.D. and the families were in our thoughts and prayers, mainly just to check on him. He ended up emailing me back one word, and I think this really may describe a lot of the emotion and feelings that the Dallas P.D. officers are feeling right now, and that word is 'incredible.' I think that sums it up."
Stachey added that officers across the country are feeling anxiety and uncertainty right now because they never know what that next call will hold, and they can only remain vigilant and maintain and rely on the training they've been given.
When asked if he would advise his department to do anything differently moving forward, he said, "nothing that I would not tell an officer on any given day of the week. Don't be complacent, be professional, rely on your training. We have come such a long way with training police officers and adopting the best practices, model policy for them to perform their jobs every day. I am proud to say that here at the Hot Springs Police Department we have placed a very strong emphasis on training."
Stressful events are simulated during officer training so that when officers are confronted with those situations on the job and when the adrenaline kicks in, they can fall back on their training and "perform in such a manner that it will help them survive that encounter and also minimize any effect of that encounter. That's what this is all about," Stachey said.
"With that being said, I think -- no, I don't think, I believe that as a community, the city of Hot Springs and Garland County, they support their law enforcement officers. We've got a great relationship with that and if we move forward in the days and months and years to come, we're going to continually build upon that relationship and I've always said from day one, communication is one of the most important aspects, whether it's in law enforcement, whether it's dealing with citizens, we have to have communication.
"As we move forward, I think that's going to be a lot of the challenge for administrators and law enforcement, is to be able to develop that core relationship and build upon it with all members of the community."
Stachey said there has been an overwhelming show of support for law enforcement in Hot Springs in the past 12 hours. Countless citizens have emailed, sent letters and delivered food to the police department, and Stachey said no one will ever know just how much that support means to him and to the officers, adding that support from the community gives them confidence, a "support mechanism," for them to continue to do their jobs.
"We empathize with those Dallas police officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice because, and here's the whole key -- the one ingredient that we share with those Dallas police officers or any law enforcement officers is that calling to serve, and that's how we're able to empathize with those families, with those administrators that are dealing with the after-effects of this tragic event," Stachey said. "It's that camaraderie, that feeling, because we understand; we do the same duties that those officers in Dallas do every day.
"This is what I always tell officers and the community: law enforcement is as much part of the community as the community is part of law enforcement. I don't want to sound cliché, but we are one."
Local on 07/09/2016