Valley police to attend funerals for slain Dallas officers

Some Coachella Valley police officers are making the trip to Dallas to pay their respects to the fallen officers.

When Palm Springs Detective Miguel Torres and Officer Joe Cook learned five officers died in the Dallas ambush last week, they knew they had to do something.

At the end of their shift Tuesday, the two traveled to Dallas to say farewell at funerals being held on Wednesday for their brothers in uniform.

“For five officers to get ambushed in the manner they were killed, that’s definitely a reason to want to go and show support,” Torres said. “It could’ve been me that day or any one of my partners that I work with.”

Torres and Cook both have families and say they’re heartbroken the officers were taken from theirs.

“Like everybody we’re fathers, brothers, husbands … There are a lot of people out there who love us and care about us,” Torres said.

Torres and Cook will return Thursday to get back to work. They welcome people in the Coachella Valley to ride along with them to see firsthand the sacrifices and challenges police officers face.

“People can join the police force. Work in the cities they grew up in. They can be part of the solution,” Cook said.

We’ll continue our coverage on Wednesday, as CBS Local 2’s Kris Long travels to Dallas with our local officers for the funeral services. We’ll keep you updated as they touch down in Dallas.

We’ve also confirmed that the Cathedral City Police Department will be sending at least one of its officers to Dallas and the Indio Police Department is working on sending at least a couple of its officers as well.