After the fatal shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, and then the murder of five police officers in Dallas, I asked Grand Junction, Colo. Chief of Police John Camper to share his thoughts on what we as a country can do to prevent tragic incidents such as these from happening.

This is his response:

This week, words of support have poured into our agency, through email, social media, phone calls, and in person, and we are grateful for your kindness. It’s difficult to wrap our minds around the horrifying, senseless murders of the officers in Dallas last week and, as our President said, “There is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks.” Along with the kind words of support and encouragement, there have, understandably, also been questions... about how we got to this point, where we go from here, and what measures we, at the Grand Junction Police Department, put in place to maintain peace and safety for all of our citizens.

I think it’s important to address some of the many ways in which our officers are trained. For example, earlier this year we once again provided anti-bias training to all of our sworn officers. Additionally, we are one of the first two departments in the nation to be actively taking part in an expanded version of USDOJ Procedural Justice training. We have provided that course to all supervisors, myself included, and are currently arranging to provide it to all line-level officers as well.

We also provide a great deal of de-escalation and less lethal training to all officers, in an effort to make sure that deadly force is truly used only as a last resort. In fact, we recently achieved a Strategic Goal of training 65+% of our street officers in Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), an intensive 40 hour course that provides officers with tools to deal with individuals undergoing mental health crises.

I would never promise that one of our officers could not ever make a grievous mistake in tactics or judgment. However, I can assure our community that we engage in extensive training to minimize the risk of such an occurrence, and I stand firm in my opinion that some of the most skilled and dedicated law enforcement officers in the country work right here in Grand Junction. I couldn’t be prouder of the compassion and commitment they show to their profession and to this community.

This week, our hearts have been heavy with grief for the unfathomable, inexcusable acts of violence in Dallas. Although our agencies don't ordinarily shroud our badges for out-of-state law enforcement deaths, after speaking with Mesa County Sheriff Lewis, we both agreed that there is nothing ordinary about this tragedy, and it is appropriate in this case to do so. In an email I sent to our employees recently, I acknowledged the question: how do we get through a time like this? Like we always do... by maintaining our dignity and professionalism, by providing calm in the storm, and by “keeping our head when all about us are losing theirs.” (Kipling)

On behalf of the Grand Junction Police Department, we are so thankful for the encouragement and validation expressed to our officers. We remain committed to being worthy of your support.