What the Dallas Police Chief Is Going Through

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Most of us have seen the horrible footage (some of it way too graphic, thanks to the ratings-hungry news channel stations [see a previous discussion about that]) of what happened in Dallas on Thursday night, with five police officers gunned down in cold blood. Because of that, Dallas police chief David Brown has been thrust into the national spotlight. If you've heard or read about this man's life you'll understand just what a cop goes through to protect us. Brown grew up in a bad part of Dallas. Instead of being part of the problem, he chose to be part of the solution, getting a college degree and becoming a police officer. In 1988 his partner was murdered in a shoot-out with a criminal. In 1991 his younger brother was killed in Phoenix by a drug dealer. Compounding this tragedy is the fact that this week is the anniversary of his brother's murder. But if you think these people protesting have issues, listen to what happened to Chief Brown on June 20, 2010, Father's Day. On that day, a man was shot to death in Lancaster, Texas, in what was ruled a random act. When police arrived, the first officer on the scene, Craig Shaw, was also shot to death. Eventually the shooter was killed by other police officers. The perpetrator was David Brown, Jr., the police chief's son. Toxicology reports during the autopsy said that the youngster was high, with several drugs including PCP found in his system. Since the madness in Dallas began Thursday night Chief Brown has faced the national (and international) media with a brave face, but an obviously breaking heart. And that's understandable. He's been down this road way too many times before. Here's Paul McCartney's "My Brave Face," which is probably a good description of Chief Brown when he addresses the media: