Democrats held a moment of silence for slain police officers at the party's national convention in Philadelphia on Thursday night that highlighted the families and officers involved in the recent shooting in Dallas.



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Dallas Sheriff Lupe Valdez spoke about the bravery of her officers and then called for a moment of silence.The quiet moment was briefly interrupted by shouts of “black lives matter,” although the overwhelming number of people in the Wells Fargo Center remained silent.“We put on our badge every day to serve and protect, not to hate and discriminate,” Valdez said.“We lost five officers in Dallas. They were killed as they were protecting citizens protesting the police. It’s been a tough time for law enforcement communities all across America who have lost officers to violence. I’ve been trying to make some kind of sense out of it, but violence is not the answer. Yelling, screaming and calling each other names is not going to do it.”The crowd in the arena had been growing restless and chatty in the run-up to the finale,'s acceptance of the party's presidential nomination, but the audience quieted down and paid attention to the sheriff and the families of the victims that followed.The segment ended with a standing ovation.