Donations continue pouring in for families of slain Dallas officers

More than a half a million dollars have been collected to help the families of the five Dallas officers killed and the 12 officers injured in last Thursday’s ambush.

Between the ‘Assist the Officer Foundation,’ GoFundMe accounts and others, volunteers and police groups have seen substantial donations going to the injured officers and the families of those killed.

Inside the Dallas Police Association Headquarters are letters and phone calls to its ATO Foundation that keep coming in from across the state and country.

Frederick Frazier with the ATO Foundation said, so far, it's collected well more than $500,000 in donations and counting.

Maxwell Drever from California flew to Dallas to hand-deliver his check of $50,000, hoping it will most benefit the children of the officers killed last Thursday.

“It's a start,” he said. “Hopefully, we can do more.”

Donations, large and small, have been adding up. Some restaurants have been collecting cash and donating part of their sales.

DART employees established a GoFundMe account for slain Officer Brent Thompson.

Friends of Sergeant Mike smith's family set up a GoFundMe account that’s up nearly $200,000.

Another group, the Dallas Foundation's Line of Duty Fund, has raised more than $350,000 as of Wednesday morning.

Frazier, a police officer himself, said the money will help families get through the first days and weeks when the business of day-to-day life takes a back seat to grief.

“We had one of the wives, she said, as soon as I gave her the check, she says we were trying to figure out if we were going to have to move,” said Frazier. “My family would be in the same position. Half of our earnings are gone now. He's gone, how are we going to pay for the things we have right now.

The ATO Foundation says the money it collects for the fallen officers includes the DART officer.

Some of the donations are set aside for the injured, as well.

ATO and Dallas Foundation say no admin costs are being deducted from any donations they collect.

Frazier with the ATO Foundation says checks for over $120,000 have already been delivered to three of the families. The other two will be delivered as the beneficiaries are sorted out.

A spokesperson for GoFundMe does take out an admin fee, but will donate $10,000 to the four accounts established so far.