About a dozen officers of the Tucson Police Department are in Dallas to attend the funerals of five officers killed by a gunman last Thursday.
"It is important to show the families that we are there to support them," said Sgt. Roland Gutierrez, president of the Tucson Police Officers Association.
"When you have officers who were out there to protect the public, and they were gunned down needlessly, we must show solidarity among each other and support each other through the grieving process," Gutierrez said.
He said officers across the nation are experiencing difficult times.
On July 7, the Dallas officers were killed and seven others wounded when they were ambushed by sniper fire during a peaceful protest over shooting deaths of two African-American men by police in Minnesota and Louisiana.
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Ex-Army reservist Micah Johnson, who asked police how many officers he shot, was killed in a standoff after negotiations failed. Johnson was killed by a police robot that was detonated with a bomb.
Gutierrez said in attendance at the weeklong funerals, vigils and memorials, will be TPOA board members Sgt. Tony Archibald and Officer Augustine Lopez. The union also sent Sgt. Deanne Zeis, and Officers Erika Muñoz, Ramon Vazquez and Jason Kerns.
Also representing the department are Officers Matt Merz and Travis Carpenter. Merz is with the charity Flags for the Fallen, which raises donations for the families of fallen officers. Carpenter, of the charity Rusted American Metal, crafts metal flags and presents them to fallen officers' families.
Also in Dallas from Tucson are officers Jonathan Alameda and Phil Hengsteler; and Sgts. Jobe Dickinson, Jason Winsky and Brandon Williams.
