The program is weed and seed, and along with
Jim Smith, Officer Dwayne Dalko is one of
60 officers assigned to it.
I'm going to be at 31.
A routine traffic stop is all in a day's work,
but this is not a normal day.
Dalko is on his way to the hospital to visit a
fallen comrade.
He's a good guy.
I just hate to see it happen to anybody, not
just Jim, but since I work with him, it makes
me feel even closer to home.
The 48-year-old Smith was shot yesterday as he
tried to arrest a drug suspect.
The 29-year-old man wrestled the gun away from
the officer and shot him in the leg.
He was also kicked in the face.
I wanted the people to see and see what this
guy did.
Along with a visit from Dalko and other
officers, Jim Smith allowed this exclusive interview
with Texas News 5.
There was no reason for it.
He didn't have any right to shoot me, and he
certainly didn't have any right to kick
my face.
The officer's leg still hurts from the bullet wound.
He can't breathe through his nose, and he says
his teeth are messed up.
But Smith is strong enough to send this message.
We don't have to have this kind of violence out there.
It doesn't have to be that way.
All we have to do is just start caring and
taking care of one another.
Officer Smith says the Weed and Seed Program is
one of the best ways to show care and concern
to stop the violence.
The Weed and Seed Program is more than officers
arresting suspected criminals.
It's activities like this.
It may look like a simple game of baseball, but
it's an opportunity for police officers
and the community to come together, a chance to
plant the seed of success.
You swing that bat around.
Swing it around.
There you go.
In the front of you.
Play ball!
Batter up!
Baseball coach is part of Officer Dalko's duties.
It's an example, he says, of what's working,
showing children the other side of police
officers and showing his injured co-worker the
work continues.
It's like running a race, a baton race, and
he's dropped the baton for a while.
We're going to pick it up and continue the race.
Deborah Ferguson, Texas News 5.