Costa Mesa officers visit Dallas to help honor slain policeman

In the wake of the killings of five police officers in Dallas, a group from the Costa Mesa Police Department flew to Texas last week to mourn with other law enforcement agencies from across the nation.

Officers Jared Shurley, Jonathan Tripp, Christopher Bates and Sgt. Jim Brown attended a memorial Friday for Dallas police Officer Michael Krol.

Krol was among the four Dallas officers and one Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer slain July 7 when a gunman targeting police officers opened fire in downtown Dallas at a protest against recent fatal shootings of black men by police in Minnesota and Louisiana.

“Officer Krol was honored by his beat partners, his girlfriend and his family in several eulogies,” Brown wrote in an email about the trip. “After the service, they honored Officer Krol with a 21-gun salute, helicopter flyover, flag ceremony and taps.”

The Costa Mesa delegation also visited a memorial outside the Dallas police headquarters, toured the shooting site and talked with fellow officers along the way, according to Brown.

“The Dallas police officers we spoke with throughout the trip were extremely grateful of our visit to Dallas,” Brown wrote. “You could see the pain and anger in their faces as we spoke with them. The officers spoke about the fallen officers’ names still on the daily roster, equipment in their lockers, patrol vehicles containing their gear, and working long hours since the shooting.”

Brown said the trip was funded by the Costa Mesa Police Assn. with help from a private donor and JetBlue, which covered two of the officers’ flights.

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Jeremiah Dobruck, [email protected]

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck