After NYC Killings, Dallas Police Association Fears "Ambush"

Ron Pinkston and the Dallas Police Association are on high alert following the killing of two New York Police Department officers in Brooklyn on Saturday. Over the weekend, the association's Twitter account quickly joined what's been a frenzied attack by conservative media and law enforcement officials on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Our fallen brothers deserved more than this so called man @BilldeBlasio to be their leader #PoliceLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/P126MEHFcl

— Dallas Police Assoc (@DPA_PoliceAssoc) December 21, 2014

The association accused Al Sharpton of instigating the shootings in New York and hopped on the "blue lives matter" hashtag.

Monday, the association revealed the depth of its fears for Dallas Police officers' safety, despite the peaceful nature of the Michael Brown and Eric Garner protests in the city.

"After the tragic shootings of two NYPD officers and the increasingly violent rhetoric against law enforcement, the Dallas Police Association today urged the men and women of the Dallas Police Department to be hyper-vigilant for dangerous situations while on and off duty," an association press release said.

Officers were warned to watch out for ambushes at intersections and not to "assume that because you are off duty you are no longer a target."

Pinkston blamed protesters and the media for the officers deaths in an interview with WFAA.

"They are to blame for that shooting, for the loss of those lives of those officers," Pinkston said. "This is what we're afraid was going to happen with all the increased violent rhetoric that was going throughout the media and the Internet. We were afraid an officer would get hurt, and that played out that way."

A letter to all DPD officers from police Chief David Brown took a far more graceful tack.

In light of the recent tragedy in New York City, we want to remind you of the importance to cover each other on traffic stops and mark outs and to wait for cover on calls. Equally important is that we remain vigilant and remember that the great majority of our citizens are supportive.

Our Fusion and task force members continuously monitor various media and intelligence sources that may be a threat to our officers. Any credible intelligence we receive pertaining to the safety of our officers will be passed along.

I know that you will continue to perform at the highest level during these challenging times.