Texas School Slaughter...

[Ronson]

A natural tendency, yes. "We ain't never had none of that bad stuff here, so it ain't gonna happen -- not here!"

Even the major police unions blasted their "action". How bad do you have to be for the UNIONS to attack you?

I realize this is only an anecdote, but my brother and I were long-haired hippies in the early 70s and we lived in an Hispanic gang neighborhood in Santa Ana. One night when leaving my work late in an empty industrial area (riding with my bro who was driving") we were pulled over by a couple of very skittish cops; hands on their guns while creeping up the side of the car. They were ready to confront some armed gangbangers, and they were visibly relieved when they saw we were just a couple of stoners (and I believe we were stoned at the time). They were so relieved that they bid us a friendly adieu, although our hearts were racing after that.

Previously, we lived in a middle-class suburb and we were chased by cops all the time - just for looking like losers.

[Cow Poke]

I realize this is only an anecdote, but my brother and I were long-haired hippies in the early 70s and we lived in an Hispanic gang neighborhood in Santa Ana. One night when leaving my work late in an empty industrial area (riding with my bro who was driving") we were pulled over by a couple of very skittish cops; hands on their guns while creeping up the side of the car. They were ready to confront some armed gangbangers, and they were visibly relieved when they saw we were just a couple of stoners (and I believe we were stoned at the time). They were so relieved that they bid us a friendly adieu, although our hearts were racing after that.

Previously, we lived in a middle-class suburb and we were chased by cops all the time - just for looking like losers.

And in SOME communities, the cops are no longer allowed to chase you unless you committed a felony!

[Gondwanaland]

Looks like the Governor was telling porkies himself - he claimed the day of the shooting that he stopped by a fundraiser to 'let people know' he couldn't stay because he had to respond to the recent shooting that had occurred a couple hours earlier that day. Turns out, he spent a number of hours rubbing elbows at said fundraiser instead.

https://www.kwtx.com/2022/07/30/abbo...alde-shooting/

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said that he stopped at a campaign fundraiser following the deadly school shooting in Uvalde and “let people know” he couldn’t stay, but a newspaper reports that he was there for nearly three hours.

The Dallas Morning News reported Thursday that campaign finance reports and flight-tracking records show that Abbott arrived in Huntsville at 4:52 p.m. on May 24 — hours after the shooting at Robb Elementary School — and then was driven about 2 miles (3 kilometers) to a local supporter’s house. He didn’t leave the city till 7:47 p.m.

An 18-year-old shooter entered the school at 11:33 a.m. that day but it was not till 12:50 p.m. that law enforcement breached the classroom where he was holed up and killed him. Texas Department of Public Safety Director Col. Steve McCraw has called law enforcement’s slow and chaotic response to the shooting an “abject failure.”

McCraw has said that three minutes after the gunman entered the school, enough officers and firepower had been deployed to stop him. Nineteen students and two teachers were killed in the attack.

When Abbott was asked at a news conference in Uvalde the day after the shooting why he hadn’t canceled the fundraiser, he noted that he had been in Abilene when he learned of the attack.

“On the way back to Austin, I stopped and let people know that I could not stay, that I needed to go,” Abbott said. “And I wanted them to know what happened and get back to Austin so that I could continue my collaboration with Texas law enforcement to make sure that all the needs were being met here in the Uvalde area.”

Abilene, where Abbott had given a news conference about wildfires, is about 220 miles (354 kilometers) northwest of Austin, while Huntsville is about 150 miles (240 kilometers) east of the state capital.

Abbott’s campaign spokeswoman, Renae Eze, told the newspaper that Abbott had been forthright about his movements that day. She said that throughout the afternoon and evening of May 24, Abbott spoke with President Joe Biden, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, law enforcement and staff.

“The day after the tragedy, the governor traveled to Uvalde and met with law enforcement and local officials,” she said. “The governor’s description of his movements that day are accurate.”

The day after the shooting, Abbott praised what he said was a swift response by law enforcement officers who “showed amazing courage by running toward gunfire.” He later said that he had been “misled,” and was “livid” about it.

According to a campaign finance report, Abbott may have raised as much as $50,000 at the Huntsville fundraiser, the newspaper said.

Abbott, a Republican, faces Democratic opponent Beto O’Rourke in November.

[Gondwanaland]

Looking like it may be time for Texas DPS to hand the investigation over to someone not involved.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/02/us/te...val/index.html

First on CNN: Texas DPS trooper arrived on scene of Uvalde school shooting earlier than previously known, body cam shows

Body camera footage released by the city of Uvalde last month shows a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was on the scene outside Robb Elementary School just 2 minutes and 28 seconds after the gunman entered, a timeline earlier than previously known.
The department had only disclosed, in timelines and testimony, that the first state trooper entered the school hallway at 11:42 a.m., nine minutes after the gunman entered the school. But DPS had not stated when the trooper first arrived at the school itself.

The more specific timeline raises further questions about DPS's own transparency and role in the botched police response, even as the department leads the investigation into what happened. The body camera video was provided to CNN by Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, who has expressed his frustration with the department's investigation and accused DPS of a "cover-up."

The head of the largest police union in Texas said the new timeline raised serious questions about the department's trustworthiness.
"I don't know that we can trust them to do an internal investigation," Charley Wilkison, the executive director of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, which represents some law enforcement officers in Uvalde, told CNN on Tuesday. "It would be best if the investigation were headed up by an outside independent source that the public can have total confidence in.

"I would say that DPS was fast to wash its hands, to point fingers and to make sure that the general public, particularly the elected officials, knew that they were spotless, blameless and that this was a local problem," he added.

The new reporting comes more than two months after an 18-year-old gunman entered the school, opened fire inside two adjoining classrooms and slaughtered 19 children and two teachers. Officers arrived on the scene minutes later, but after taking fire from the gunman, they retreated to a hallway, and the gunman remained inside the classrooms for a total of 77 minutes before a tactical unit forced their way in and killed him, according to a timeline from the public safety department.
The long delay contradicts a widely taught protocol for active shooter situations, which says that law enforcement should stop the gunman as fast as possible. Yet authorities have repeatedly offered conflicting timelines and muddled explanations as to what happened in that period.
In June, DPS Director Col. Steven McCraw called the law enforcement response an "abject failure" in testimony before the Texas Senate. He placed sole blame for the delayed response on the on-scene commander, Uvalde School Police Chief Pedro "Pete" Arredondo.

Because I don't know if we could fully trust their findings when they have reason to downplay their involvement.

[Cow Poke]

Looking like it may be time for Texas DPS to hand the investigation over to someone not involved.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/02/us/te...val/index.html



Because I don't know if we could fully trust their findings when they have reason to downplay their involvement.

But I don't trust the Feds, so...

[rogue06]

The police chief has FINALLY been fired

He may sue for reinstatement claiming he's been scapegoated because of his race.

[Gondwanaland]

The police chief has FINALLY been fired

He may sue for reinstatement claiming he's been scapegoated because of his race.

Finally some good news. He'd been essentially pushed out of his Town Council job a little while ago but somehow it took until now for them to get rid of him at the school he failed so utterly.

[Gondwanaland]

The entire school district police force have now been suspended. Superintendent is going to resign/"retire".

https://abcnews.go.com/US/uvalde-sch...l_twitter_abcn

The Uvalde, Texas, school district -- still facing withering criticism over its police department's failings both during the May 24 elementary school massacre and since -- announced the suspension of the entire district police force on Friday.
Hours later, Uvalde school district Superintendent Hal Harrell announced he would be retiring. There was no timeframe given for Harrell's retirement, but the transition will be discussed in a closed session of the school board on Monday.

The district said it's requested more Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to be stationed on campuses and at extracurricular activities amid the police department suspension, adding, "We are confident that staff and student safety will not be compromised during this transition."

The length of the school district police suspension is not clear.

Lt. Miguel Hernandez, who was tasked with leading the department in the fallout from the shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers, and Ken Mueller, the UCISD's director of student services, were placed on administrative leave.

Hernandez acknowledged in a law enforcement communication in August that he'd received formal notification from DPS that an officer applying to Uvalde's school police force was under investigation for her response at Robb Elementary.

Uvalde school district suspends entire police force, superintendent to retire amid fallout from shooting
The district has faced withering criticism over its police department’s actions.

ByJenny Wagnon Courts, Ismael Estrada, Josh Margolin, and Emily Shapiro
October 7, 2022, 12:26 PM

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2:43
An officer walks outside of Robb Elemen...Read More
Allison Dinner/AFP via Getty Images

Uvalde:365 is a continuing ABC News series reported from Uvalde and focused on the Texas community and how it forges on in the shadow of tragedy.

The Uvalde, Texas, school district -- still facing withering criticism over its police department's failings both during the May 24 elementary school massacre and since -- announced the suspension of the entire district police force on Friday.

Hours later, Uvalde school district Superintendent Hal Harrell announced he would be retiring. There was no timeframe given for Harrell's retirement, but the transition will be discussed in a closed session of the school board on Monday.

The district said it's requested more Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to be stationed on campuses and at extracurricular activities amid the police department suspension, adding, "We are confident that staff and student safety will not be compromised during this transition."

The length of the school district police suspension is not clear.

PHOTO: An officer walks outside of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022.
An officer walks outside of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022.
Allison Dinner/AFP via Getty Images
Lt. Miguel Hernandez, who was tasked with leading the department in the fallout from the shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers, and Ken Mueller, the UCISD's director of student services, were placed on administrative leave.

Hernandez acknowledged in a law enforcement communication in August that he'd received formal notification from DPS that an officer applying to Uvalde's school police force was under investigation for her response at Robb Elementary.

Mueller has elected to retire, according to the school district.

"Officers currently employed will fill other roles in the district," the school district said. According to the district's website, that includes four officers and one security guard.

Victims' families, led by Brett Cross, guardian of 10-year-old victim Uziyah Garcia, had been holding a round-the-clock vigil outside the school district headquarters calling for change. The families are now commending Friday's police department announcement.

They don't know how to hire people, they don't know how to vet officers," Kimberly Rubio, whose daughter, Lexi, was killed at Robb Elementary, told ABC News. "They haven't provided proper training."

Friday's news was "what we've been asking for -- it's more than we've been asking for," she said.

Gloria Cazares, whose 9-year-old daughter, Jackie, was killed, called the department suspension "bittersweet."

"It's a win -- a small win," she told ABC News. "We're not done."

The department suspension comes one day after the firing of Crimson Elizondo, the officer who was hired by Uvalde's school district despite being under investigation for her conduct as a DPS trooper during the massacre.
Elizondo was the first DPS member to enter the hallway at Robb after the shooter gained entry. The trooper did not bring her rifle or vest into the school, according to the results of an internal review by DPS that was detailed to ABC News.



PHOTO: Crimson Elizondo, a former Uvalde School District Police Officer and former Texas State Trooper, is pictured in an undated official portrait.
Crimson Elizondo, a former Uvalde School District Police Officer and former Texas State Tr...Show more
Uvalde CISD Police Department
MORE: Uvalde school district fires recently hired officer after learning she was under investigation for shooting response
As a result of potential failure to follow standard procedures, the trooper was among seven DPS personnel whose conduct is now being investigated by the agency's inspector general. The seven were suspended, however, by Elizondo resigning from DPS to work for the Uvalde schools she was no longer subject to any internal discipline or penalties. Her conduct -- if found to be in violation of law or policy -- would still be included in the final report from the DPS inspector general.

The school district said in Friday's statement that "decisions concerning" the school district police department have been pending results of investigations from the Texas Police Chiefs Association and the private investigative firm JPPI Investigations, but "recent developments have uncovered additional concerns with department operations."

Results of the JPPI investigation "will inform future personnel decisions" and the Texas Police Chiefs Association's review "will guide the rebuilding of the department and the hiring of a new Chief of Police," the statement said.

The school district's police chief, Pete Arredondo, was fired in August.

Unfortunately only suspended, which means they can likely return at some point.

[Cow Poke]

So, what was the mess with the woman who was former DPS, and was hired....

EDIT....

Here...

Uvalde schools hire — and then fire — former DPS trooper under investigation for shooting response

UVALDE — Uvalde school officials have fired a recently hired district police officer after it became public that she was one of the first state troopers to arrive at Robb Elementary on May 24, when a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers.

Crimson Elizondo is among at least five current or former Department of Public Safety officers the agency is investigating for their response to the deadliest school shooting in Texas history, CNN reported Wednesday.

Elizondo, who responded to the shooting within minutes when she was a state trooper, was hired by the school district’s police department after leaving her DPS job. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday told reporters during a campaign stop in New Braunfels that the school district asked DPS about Elizondo. Abbott said the agency told the school district that “she had actions inconsistent with training and department requirements.”

“So that school district had full information about the person they chose to go ahead and hire, and that’s up to the school district — not DPS, not anybody else — to have to own up to the poor decision they made,” Abbott said.

Law enforcement officers from local and state agencies have been heavily criticized for waiting more than an hour to confront the Robb Elementary gunman, a response that disregarded common active shooting training. A Texas House committee investigation faulted the law enforcement response, finding that the hundreds of officers responded in a chaotic, uncoordinated manner. They were devoid of clear leadership, basic communications and sufficient urgency, a report from the committee said.

It was unclear Thursday whether Elizondo was one of two DPS officers suspended with pay while the agency investigates them. DPS officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

In on-body camera footage on the day of the shooting, Elizondo responded to another officer who asked her if she had any children at the school: “If my son had been in there, I would not have been outside. I promise you that.”

So, other kids can die - but HER son...

[Thoughtful Monk]

Boy, this is the tragedy that just keeps going. I can't recall one that this far after the event is still having fallout.

[Cow Poke]

Boy, this is the tragedy that just keeps going. I can't recall one that this far after the event is still having fallout.

Yeah, this will be the classic "extreme bad example" in police academies for years to come.

[rogue06]

Boy, this is the tragedy that just keeps going. I can't recall one that this far after the event is still having fallout.

It's partly the age we live in, but the magnitude of the tragedy and the depth of the incompetence made it one people are still interested in hearing what's happening.

[Thoughtful Monk]

Another thing that came to mind was after the initial gun control response to the shotting, now the response seems apolitical and much more factual. Maybe there is hope that after the initial political response, we can actually deal with issues after all.