After Dallas attack, flood of applicants answer call for backup

DALLAS — For two years, Dakota Leierer has worked two-week shifts in the oil fields of West Texas, sleeping in trailers and driving four hours to see his wife and two young children.

[...] the deaths of eight law enforcement officers in Texas and Louisiana in the last month have generated a few bridges across the divide, with officers across the country reporting gestures of kindness — coffee and meals bought for them, and spontaneous offers of thanks and prayers.

Police officials said applications were still coming in, giving the force of 3,500 a larger-than-normal pool of applicants to fill a police academy class that has in recent months struggled to find recruits.

For some, an announcement that the city was hiring police officers presented an opportunity for a steady job, with benefits, albeit one with modest pay, shifting hours and risks.

[...] to city and police officials, the flood of applications and phone calls from would-be recruits were signs of resilience and support, as if hundreds of people, horrified by the targeted attack on police officers, were rallying to offer backup.