Uvalde School District Suspends Entire Police Force

UVALDE, TEXAS – In the wake of the tragic shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, TX, the Uvalde school district announced the entire district police force is being suspended. The school district superintendent is also stepping down. No timetable for the length of the suspension has been announced, and there is also no timetable for when the superintendent will step down.

The district said that they are requesting the Texas Department of Public Safety to provide troopers to be stationed on campuses as they are navigating the widespread suspension.

Parents, community members, and online commenters have called for accountability directed towards the law enforcement officers who neglected to act swiftly on the day of the tragedy.

Numerous personnel are being investigated for failure to follow standard procedures as the day’s events were unfolding.

Additionally, there has been numerous instances of blowback directed towards Texas DPS. In one case, Texas DPS Lieutenant Chris Olivarez provided an explanation for why his law enforcement officers didn’t act sooner, and many are calling it an “excuse.”

“They are receiving gunshots,” Olivarez said. “At that point, if they proceeded any further not knowing where the suspect was at, they could’ve been shot, they could’ve been killed, and that gunman would have had an opportunity to kill other people inside that school.”

The school police chief, Pete Arredondo, made waves by saying he “never considered himself the scene’s incident commander.”

Arredondo additionally noted that he did not bring his radios with him into the school even thought he was the first officer on the scene.

“I didn’t issue any orders,” Arredondo reportedly said. “I called for assistance and asked for an extraction tool to open the door.”

Arredondo was fired in August.