The top law enforcement officer in the state of Texas said on Tuesday that the police response to the horrific Uvalde school shooting in May was an “abject failure.”
And with all of the brand new information that is coming out about how police handled the situation, it’s pretty clear that this individual could not be more right. The police had plenty of opportunities to bring this shooting to an end and save countless lives. It’s a true blight on the police department in the city of Uvalde.
The comment was made by Col. Steve McCraw, who works as the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, while giving testimony at a state Senate hearing concerning how the local police handled the shooting that left 19 elementary-age children dead, along with two teachers.
According to a report published by Just the News, McCraw went on to say that law enforcement authorities had enough officers available on the scene to have stopped the rampaging gunman just three minutes after he entered the school building.
“The response has been under intense scrutiny, amid reports the 18-year-old gunman was inside the school for about 58 minutes before being forced to surrender, as parents and others outside urged the officer in charge to take action,” the report said.
A whopping eight minutes after the shooter gained entry to the building, an officer reported that police had a crowbar in their possession which could be used to help get through the classroom door.
The witness also testified that nineteen minutes into the situation, the first ballistic shield was then brought into the building by law enforcement officers.
“McCraw told the Senate committee that Pete Arredondo, the Uvalde school district police chief, decided to put the lives of officers ahead of the lives of children,” the report continued.
Police officers have a really difficult job. I don’t think anyone would ever argue otherwise. It’s not the kind of job where you get highly rewarded by those you serve. In fact, it’s largely a thankless career. Cops typically get pummeled with hatred by the very same people they are tasked with protecting. That’s a pretty hard gig to handle, don’t you think?
However, we have high standards for our police, as we should, and these individuals do not measure up. Rather than putting the lives of these innocent children above their own, many of them became cowards, seeking to preserve their own lives rather than trying to save those of the kids in the classroom, who have no hope or chance of defending themselves.
The question now becomes focused on who is going to be held accountable for this disaster? People lost their lives. This is beyond serious negligence. It’s cowardice. No other way to describe it. As a result of this, those responsible for not taking action should face consequences.
What kind of consequences?
I don’t know. But they better provide the victims’ families with some sort of sense of closure for what happened. They deserve at least that much.
This story syndicated with permission from michael, Author at Trending Politics
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