Questions over the Uvalde Police Department’s response to a school shooting carried out on Tuesday continue to rage. Many reports show a worrying picture of both incompetence, and poor decision-making. More than 12 officers stood by as the gunman killed 19 children. Even worse was the fact that a Border Patrol tactical team arrived and was told to stop before disobeying the orders and neutralizing any threat.
Texas DPS presented a press release that attempted to minimize the mistakes and refuse to answer fundamental questions.
Documents that were unearthed show shocking breaches of protocols. Now the police have contradicted the expectations given months earlier in relation to active shooter scenarios.
Two months ago, Uvalde trained on Uvalde guidelines. These are clear expectations of officers who respond to active shooters.
It is obvious that time is the most important factor in training. The “first priority is to move in and confront the attacker.”https://t.co/UV5I33bFhi
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— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) May 28, 2022
The instructions to officers aren’t vague. The instructions to officers are clear. They state that first priority should be to face the killer, then neutralize them and then give aid. The statement does not mention that one should sit back and wait an hour for a tactical team to enter. It also notes that even though there is no need to wait for support, every officer must perform his duties. This backs up what I’ve said in my prior critiques. You play to the end and allow the chips to fall in an active shooting situation. This is especially true for schools with students. That could lead to an officer being shot and killed. That’s the job, and that’s the expectation, not just from me, but from the Uvalde PD’s own stated protocols.
But it gets worse. Those who think that police were justified in retreating because they were afraid of being shot should be aware that documents clearly state that such people need to find work elsewhere.
This is clearly in sharp contrast to the training we see in Uvalde. Police officials have said that officers were reluctant to engage the gunman because “they could’ve been shot.”https://t.co/wL8eqpqkiw
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— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) May 28, 2022
The officers who stood by for over an hour while having a huge numerical advantage over the shooter deserve to be fully investigated, and unless some completely unknown factor is raised, and I couldn’t imagine what that would be, they should lose their badges. This country has lost trust in its institutions, particularly law enforcement from the DOJ to the police. Accountability is the only way to restore some trust.
I’m not just talking about police leadership either. As the Border Patrol agents demonstrated, it is not enough to hide behind orders. Hiding behind orders isn’t enough. It was possible for the rank and file to eliminate that gunman and save lives. But they didn’t choose to do so, regardless of their motives. That can’t be allowed to slide.
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