Just a couple of weeks ago, the Dallas Police Department were finding it hard to get new recruits in the door, but since the ambush shooting of five officers, the applications have surged.
–Ebony editor questions if Dallas police shootings qualifies as a ‘hate crime’
During the 12 days after the July 7 shooting, the Dallas PD got a total of 467 job applications, which is a whopping 344 percent increase compared to June, which only had 136 job applications. That means that in June there were 11.3 applications sent in per day, whereas in July after the shooting, there were 38.9 requests per day.
–Donald Trump says Dallas police shootings ‘might just be the beginning’
Things have been so bad recruit-wise that the police academy has had to cancel classes because there were simply not enough students. One of the problems was that those who wished to be police officers didn’t want to work in Dallas because the Dallas Police Department does not pay as well as surrounding areas.
Dallas police chief David Brown used a press conference last week to reach out to potential recruits. As he spoke of the deaths of the five officers, he stressed how important it was to have good cops and asked those who would like to serve the public apply. “We are hiring. Get out of that protest line and put an application in,” Brown stated.
#Dallas Police Chief’s advice to young black men: "Become a part of the solution, serve your communities." pic.twitter.com/zAqLNdWwDe
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 11, 2016
Police departments in the US have been the targets of protests since the shooting deaths of multiple black men by police.
–3 police officers killed, 3 injured during shootout in Baton Rouge
The recent shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police were caught on camera, sparking outrage around the country.
These latest shootings are just two of many questionable shootings by police in the last two years that have caused racial unrest in the country.
“It’s a shame it took a tragedy to get people to apply, but glad to see so many people willing to serve their community,” Dallas resident Ben Shaw stated on the Dallas PD’s Facebook page on Friday.