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By Douglas J. Hagmann

At 5:18 ET this morning, I received a call to my private number as a result of an email I sent to a Dallas, Texas police officer whom I first met during my visit to that city earlier this year. Given the volatility and ongoing nature of the events taking place, the call came earlier than I anticipated but was met with welcome relief.

Thankfully, he was uninjured and not directly involved in the firefights that have so-far claimed the lives of five police officers (four from Metro-Dallas, one from DART), but knew two of the victims very well. He was broken up and the conversation was difficult, a stark contrast to our early-morning meetings over coffee for the better part of a week last March.

Sophistication of Attacks

I asked him for whatever information he might be able to offer about the attacks against the police during the hastily-planned “Black Lives Matter” (BLM) demonstration in downtown Dallas. He was quick to comply, as he said that the media is already in spin-mode, downplaying and even omitting many important facts.

He emphasized that this was a very well-planned and well-coordinated attack that was executed with a disturbing level of precision. He described the attackers as utilizing body armor and having access to communications equipment, as well as a significant amount of weapons, ammunition and bomb-making materials and devices. He further emphasized that the planning of this attack had certain signatures of paramilitary or Muslim terrorist groups, although was careful not to make any direct linkage at this early stage. “It just had that feel,” he said.

This source stated that the methods used by the attackers in terms of “triangulation of targets” was both acknowledged and alarming, meaning that knowledge of the hastily-planned route used by the demonstrators was known and used by the perpetrators for “maximum damage.” In other words, he stated, “this [attack] against the police might have been planned before the event and adapted for use at this event, which goes back to having certain disconcerting ‘signatures’ as I just mentioned.”

Not-so-petty cash

This source stated that “the types of vehicles, armaments, and other equipment used in the 7/7 attacks [his emphasis] seemed to be inconsistent with a ‘typical attack,’ if there is such a thing.” He added that “it will be critical to ‘follow the money’ to identify all of those behind this murderous event.

More-to-Come

As I had the opportunity to candidly speak with this Dallas police officer in depth last March, we discussed the state of affairs pertaining to Black Lives Matter and similar racial-based groups long before last night’s attacks. At that time, he spoke of an expected rise in racially-based attacks against the police, much of which is being orchestrated at the higher levels of government.

This ranking member of the Dallas Police Department has served in his capacity for almost two decades and has seen a lot. He is not one to overstate or unnecessarily hype a situation. In fact, it was during one of my early-morning coffee meet-ups that I wryly gave him the unofficial title of “master of understatement.”

Despite this depiction, this source did suggest that a new era of cooperation appears to be developing between groups like BLM and even fragments of ISIS, for example. “There seems to be a relationship developing or being fostered that will pit them against us in an urban warfare setting,” he said.

Sharing an interest in history, we discussed the social problems of the late 1960s, and how the Manson family mantra called for an intense racial war and war against “the pigs.” That agenda seems to be worsening today. In a rather prophetic moment during our last meeting over coffee, he said that he fully expected this summer to be long and hot that has the potential to make 1968 pale in comparison. “Helter Skelter in a Summer Swelter,” he said.

Our most recent conversation was even less optimistic. “Expect more. Expect different cities. Be prepared for the worst. It’s no longer about social justice if it truly ever was, but about orchestrating chaos. That was the intent then, and that’s the intent today. Except now, you’ve got politicians with a fistful of matches behind it and the media stoking the flames.”

Heartbreak, Anguish and Outrage

“This is a fluid situation,” added my source. “I don’t have all of the facts, and not all of the crime scenes have been cleared. It has been an incredibly devastating night for our department. Heartbreak. That’s the only word I can think of that even comes close to being able to describe how many of us feel,” he said.

“I’ll add one more thing. There is a feeling by me and many [of his fellow officers] that politicians have purposely painted big freakin’ targets on our backs. We’ve been thrown to the wolves for political gain. Here we are, protecting the very group of people who are protesting against us and getting killed in the process. Of course, we hear from Washington that it is our fault, it is a situation of our own making. There’s a whole lot of outrage right now, and there will likely be a whole lot more after we move past the anguish.”

Updates on this and other developing situations will be provided as verified. Meanwhile, prepare. Pray. Please say an extra prayer for the victims of last night’s massacre, and their families.

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