DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - Former Texas Ranger Derek Holland and philanthropist Amy Simmons made a donation to the Assist the Officer Foundation Friday in Dallas. Holland and Simmons made the donation at the Southwest Police Station for officers to spend the money at local restaurants.
"Derek Holland was amazing," says Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata. "He said it himself: although he plays for a team outside Texas, he knew this is his home. He said it's about taking care of family first. 'I want to make this donation to feed the officers, and if you could spend this on family-owned restaurants to help those individuals, I'm excited about it.'"
The Dallas Police Association declined to give an exact amount, but says it was a donation of "thousands of dollars." Mata says the money has been used to feed officers at three of the department's seven divisions so far with plans to serve the other four.
Eight Dallas police officers have tested positive for COVID-19. Mata says officers have trained for how to handle first aid and calls where they may be in contact with blood, but they cannot train to handle calls that may involve a virus they cannot see.
"We are well accustomed to knocking on that door, not knowing who's on the other side or walking up to that traffic stop not knowing who we're pulling over, and you always have that danger something could go bad," Mata says. "But we train for those. We have, in our heads, answers of how to respond. Something like this, there is no answer because you don't know who's a carrier."
Mata says officers have been given packages with sanitizer, gloves, and masks. He says many have become "numb" after a month of increased precautions, so the department and officers' association must keep reminding officers of the potential danger because an officer could spread the virus even without showing symptoms.
"It truly does define the fact that we're all in this together," he says. "It's tough, but there are other professions, like people who work in the grocery stores, they're having to face the same thing."
In addition to the money donated this week, Mata says a company in San Antonio donated 300 gallons of sanitizer and a company in Houston donated 250 gallons.
"It's companies all over the state of Texas that make you proud to be a Texan and show why we, as police officers, know these citizens of Texas, they truly do love their police officers and firemen," he says.