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Published January 23, 2017
This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," July 11, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Dallas Police Chief David Brown bears his grieving soul saying his officers are taking on too much. The chief says his officers are overwhelmed with everything they have to deal with on a daily basis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DALLAS POLICE CHIEF DAVID BROWN: We're asking cops to do too much in this country. We are. We are just asking us to do too much. Every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve. Not enough mental health funding. Let the cop handle it. Not enough drug addiction funding. Let's give it to the cops.
If you are in Dallas, you've got a loose dog problem. Let's have the cop chase loose dogs. You know, schools fail. Give it to the cops. 70 percent of the African-American community is being raised by single women. Let's give it to the cops to solve that as well. That's too much to ask. Policing was never meant to solve all those problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAN SUSTEREN: President of the Dallas Police Association Detective Ron Pinkston goes ON THE RECORD.
Good evening, detective.
RON PINKSTON, PRESIDENT, DALLAS POLICE ASSOCIATION: Good evening. Thank you for having me.
VAN SUSTEREN: And, detective, you know, as I would say to any police officer, Dallas or not, you know, my heart bleeds and everybody else does for the, you know, what's happened in your community.
And I guess, you know, the question that people are asking tonight is, is President Obama doing enough for police and, if not, what could he possibly do?
PINKSTON: Well, what I think police have to do is what -- they have to follow what is happening in the City of Dallas and what we have done, which is shocking that this occurred here.
If we have to have -- start having conversations, then both sides have to start listening. As far as what the politicians do, I mean, they have to be leaders, and they have to stand up and try to start this positive conversation. We have to stop the hate filled conversation that is leading both sides.
VAN SUSTEREN: Is that being done? I mean, do you have a satisfaction with our leadership? And let me put right to the top to President Obama.
Do you have satisfaction with him that he has at least been trying to do this, put the lid on this, trying to show that leadership?
PINKSTON: Well, I don't think law enforcement believes that they have had the full cooperation of the president or many of our politicians in this country. It's time for all of them to get together, stand up and have a positive conversation for both sides and everybody needs to listen.
VAN SUSTEREN: You know, it's always bothered me that it's against probably all police regulations or ethics rules that I can't buy you a cup of coffee in a Dunkin' Donuts and a donut, yet if I'm a Supreme Court justice, I can fly in a private plane to some hunting lodge. I just have to make notification of it.
And I think a lot of police officers, you know, they may not be getting paid enough. And I know you wrote an op-ed on that issue.
Are cops getting paid enough in Dallas?
PINKSTON: No. Cops are underpaid in Dallas. We have been losing our top talent to the suburbs because we have been so under paid and now our ranks are depleted because we aren't getting the officers to apply to come to Dallas. So the city council and the mayor are going to have to do a better job to address it so that crime doesn't spike any higher than it already is.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you think that the rest of the non-cop population just doesn't get it, doesn't understand how tough the job is?
PINKSTON: Well, I think people don't get it, and unless it's happening to them. You know, the 9,000 victims we had last year, they get it. But unless -- they are a family member of that, you know, most people don't get it. They are living their own lives. And they don't understand that. It could impact them tomorrow. And that's why they have to take it serious.
VAN SUSTEREN: What do you say to the families, though. There are instances when police overreach. They use excessive force.
I mean, how do you explain that to the families who are on the receiving end of that?
PINKSTON: Well, I say police all around this country are trying to do their best to do the job. They are enforcing the laws that are given to them. And, you know, they are trying to apprehend the criminals and what we need is more people that want to comply when the officers get there, you know.
They want to respect the authority, the law enforcement in this country and that's when it's going to start having a turn around in a positive way.
VAN SUSTEREN: Detective, thank you for joining us. I know tonight there is a vigil there. The funerals start this week and I know it's painful for you, for all the Dallas police and frankly for the rest of us as well.
Detective, thank you for joining us.
PINKSTON: Thank you.
https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/are-police-being-asked-to-do-too-much