KERA took an interesting angle on the one-year anniversary of the July 7 ambush on police in Dallas.

They interviewed several rookie cops about what it’s been like to come up in the Dallas Police Department following its deepest tragedy.

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Brannon Barber is one of them. Barber was born and raised in Oak Cliff and now serves in DPD’s Southwest Division, in our neighborhood, where three of the five slain officers had been stationed as well.

Barber tells the radio station that he had no idea how bad crime in Dallas had become before he started working as a beat cop less than a year ago. He says it was shocking. Every morning, he prays for God’s protection.

“At any given moment, anything can happen,” Barber told KERA. “July 7 can happen any day of the week.”

Find their coverage of Barber and some other DPD rookies here.