Episode 60

Dallas Police Department’s Bryan Candelaria #9294 and Gabriel Candelaria #9326

The Dallas Island Boys

The Assist the Officer Foundation welcomes on the Dallas Police Department’s identical twin brothers in Bryan and Gabriel Candelaria.

Hailing from the 305, Miami Florida, they do embody the flavor of South Florida as they grew up in the fast- paced post cocaine cowboy era of Miami.

They both gravitated to law enforcement as they grew up in a first responder family under the tutelage of the great Miami-Dade PD Legend Omar Carrillo.  (The ATO family will hear Omar’s story on a later episode)

In the true spirit of Greek mythology twin archers, Apollo and Artemis, they are identical yet very different in their approach to life and career.

They moved to North Texas to begin their law enforcement career and joined the Dallas Police Department and started the academy in the same academy class.

They hit the streets in different part of Dallas as Gabe went North and Bryan went South and both then truly began forming their own style of police work. Bryan chose “Chasing Dope” and Gabe gravitated to Intelligence led policing and finding his niche in undercover deployment.

Like Artemis and Apollo both had a passion for the “hunt” of policing as they quickly became effective in just taking bad guys off the street to make the neighborhoods safer.

After leaving the Southeast Division CRT Bryan joined the prestigious Dallas SWAT to fulfill a life-long dream, following in Omar’s footsteps and Gabe joined a team on the ground floor that would revolutionize the Dallas PD in ushering in the video age in the body worn camera program.

This story is about two brothers, different in many ways, but equally genuine as human beings that pursued a calling and both succeeding in every stop they’ve had with Dallas PD.  

Both are finally in leadership roles to be mentors and role models to help mold the future of the Dallas Police Department as Gabriel serves as the Lieutenant for the Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia and Bryan a Sergeant for the Violent Crime Task Force.

Sit back and enjoy laughter, inspiration, heartbreak and growth as we introduce the Candy Twins to the ATO stage.

Critical Incidents:

Officer involved shooting in the Dixon Circle Community 7/24/2012

Hostage rescue with children on 2/9/2020 at 6000 Abrams

Hostage Rescue Homicide/Suicide on 511 Highcrest 5/18/2020

George Floyd riots in downtown Dallas in 2020

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ATODALLAS.org

Contact us at [email protected]

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