Dallas Police Chief David Brown returned to work today, slightly more than two weeks after his son fatally shot two people, including a Lancaster police officer.
Brown made first public appearance this morning, speaking to the North Texas Crime Commission’s monthly breakfast meeting, fulfilling a long-standing commitment.
City Manager Mary Suhm introduced Brown, saying, “I have complete faith in his ability to get through this. … He has all of our confidence”
The chief said the shootings had left three families and two police forces in “horrific state of shock.”
He said he had met with the families of the two people his son, David Brown Jr., had shot. The younger Brown was then killed by Lancaster officers.
Brown said he knew when he accepted the chief’s job that there would be “difficult times,” but, he said, he had no idea it would be like this.
“It hurts deep. It’s a deep-rooted hurt.”
He said he’s still trying to understand what happened with his son, but conceded that may never happen.
Many observers were eagerly waiting to see how the intensely private chief would address the Father’s Day shooting and an ongoing controversy surrounding the decision of police commanders to call in a motorcycle escort for part of the younger Brown’s funeral procession.
Suhm said she met with Brown on Tuesday afternoon at City Hall and they discussed his return to the department.
“We just talked about all the stuff we needed to do,” Suhm said. “We talked about what we’re going to do in the next six or eight months and about the budget.”
That decision angered many Dallas officers, and Suhm has since appointed an outside investigator to review what happened and make any necessary recommendations.
The chief’s son, 27, was killed on June 20 after a series of bizarre actions that included dancing around his Lancaster apartment complex pool in his boxer shorts and humming to himself. He then walked up to the car of 23-year-old Jeremy McMillian, a stranger, and shot him multiple times. Brown Jr. then opened fire on Lancaster police Officer Craig Shaw, who had responded to the McMillian shooting, killing him.
Autopsy results released last week reported that Brown Jr. had PCP, marijuana and alcohol in his system at the time of the shooting rampage.
Upon his return, Chief Brown faces a slew of swirling controversies among his rank-and-file officers.
Many Dallas police officers continue to be outraged that Brown’s son received the motorcycle escort, an honor typically reserved for deceased police and dignitaries. There have also been calls for the resignation of First Assistant Chief Charlie Cato and Deputy Chief Julian Bernal for their decision to order the escort. The two senior chiefs have said they did it as a public safety measure, while many in the rank-and-file said the escort besmirched the memory of Shaw.
“People are still reeling over this escort thing,” Dallas Police Association President Glenn White said Tuesday. “I’ve had numerous calls today, and I’m talking ranting and raving phone calls. People are just fed up. I think Brown needs to distance himself from both of them.”
Meanwhile, there are new questions surrounding the use of at least one on-duty officer to help the chief’s family in the wake of the shooting. Department officials confirmed Tuesday that a Dallas police sergeant was put on “special assignment” to assist Brown’s family during the week of the funeral for his son.
The total amount of time worked by Sgt. Tanga Hampton was 21.5 hours over several days. Hampton, a close friend of Brown’s wife, Cedonia, is a supervisor assigned to the internal affairs division.
“She has been on special assignment to assist with the family,” said Lt. Andrew Acord, Hampton’s supervisor. “Whenever we have an officer who has suffered a loss, a family member loss, it is typical that officers will be allowed special assignment time to assist them. It’s not uncommon for that to occur.”
Suhm said she asked Brown about the matter during their meeting Tuesday and he told her that no one had been working at his house on department time.
“She babysat for them on her own time,” Suhm said of Hampton, who could not be reached for comment.
When told that Hampton had been on special assignment, she said Brown must not have been aware of that. “He doesn’t know because he doesn’t lie to me. He hasn’t lied to me about anything,” Suhm said.
She immediately ordered the department to make sure that the hours Hampton worked are shown as either vacation time or “W-time,” meaning without pay.
“It’s been done at funerals before when officers are killed,” Suhm said of the practice of assigning personnel to assist the grieving family of a fellow officer. “It didn’t register with them that this is not the appropriate time to do it.”