Each year the Theodore Roosevelt Association- Texas Chapter recognizes a Dallas Police officer who has overcome a life-threatening injury, illness, or other overwhelming obstacles.  This officer also demonstrated exceptional courage, tenacity, determination, and perseverance while overcoming the adversity and ultimately returned to work to continue to serve the department and the City of Dallas.

Today, Officer Brannon Barber #11200, a 5-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, was named the Theodore Roosevelt Association- Texas Chapter 2020 Award Recipient in a ceremony in his honor held at the Jack Evans Police Headquarters.  He is being awarded today due to COVID restrictions, that resulted in the 2020 ceremony being postponed.  He was recognized for his unrelenting disposition as he was faced with a life-altering circumstance and overcame it with the highest regard.

On October 21, 2018, Officer Barber responded to a traffic accident on State Highway 408 at Interstate 20.  He was assisting with traffic control on the scene by establishing a safe pathway, using flares and cones, for the oncoming traffic to navigate around the accident.  While Officer Barber carried out his assignment with the utmost regard for safety, an impatient driver with a selfish temperament for everyone present, disregarded the multitude of marked squad cars, uniformed officers, well-lit flares, and cones to circumvent the designated safe pathway.  Because of the impatient driver’s action, he critically struck and ran over Officer Barber.  The impatient driver was arrested and charged.  Officer Barber was then transported to an area hospital and was by all accounts hanging onto his life by a thread.  He suffered a laceration of his liver, spleen, and abdomen, multiple minor fractures to his ribs, hyperextension of his wrist and ankles, and a traumatic brain injury.  For several weeks after the accident, Officer Barber was kept in a medically induced coma to allow his body to properly heal from the trauma that it had just experienced.  At one point in his recovery, no one medically or otherwise could determine if Officer Barber could or would return with any of his physical or mental abilities intact.  With around-the-clock vigilance of prayer by his family, friends, and community, this resilient young man, after several months, slowly regained his consciousness.  It was very apparent that he had lost vital memories and as a result, he had to relearn how to stand, walk, write, speak, eat and navigate.  In this new journey, he underwent extensive medical, physical, speech, and other associated expert treatments.  He rose to the challenge and soared through them all.  At the core of his continued journey of recovery was and is his faith in God and desire to return to full duty.  In an interview in a KERA News Special, Officer Barber expressed, “ I ask God to cover me in his blood and shelter me with his wings and allow me to stay out of harm’s way and return back to my loved ones….That there, puts me in the right mind frame for what I’m about to encounter.”  Those words laid the foundation and carried him through what he encountered.

In his nomination letter, Sergeant Ivan Gunter wrote, “In the humblest of terms and with great conviction, I truly believe that Officer Brannon Barber #11200 has and is overcoming some of the greatest adversity that most of us will never see.  Part of his impact is Officer Barber’s refusal to give up in spite of his adversity, he is an inspiration to everyone, and in short measure, a walking miracle.”

Officer Barber is back at work and is currently assigned to the In-Service Training Academy.

Thank you Officer Barber for your display of great strength and courage!  God bless you!

mdd