Uvalde School District Suspends Entire Police Force And Honestly It's Not Enough
On Friday, the Uvalde, Texas, school district shared that they suspended their entire district police force. The length of the suspension, however, has not been disclosed. Two school officials were also placed on administrative leave.
This move comes after heavy criticism over how its police department failed during the May 24 elementary school massacre that left 19 children and 2 teachers dead.
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In addition, the district has asked for more Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to be placed on campuses and at extra-curricular activities. In a statement, they explained:
“The District has made the decision to suspend all activities of the Uvalde CISD Police Department for a period of time. Officers currently employed will fill other roles in the district.”
On Thursday, Crimson Elizondo—a school officer recently hired by the Uvalde district—was fired for her conduct during the shooting. Elizondo was the first Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) member to enter the hallway at Robb Elementary School after the shooter arrived.
She failed to bring her rifle or vest into the school, according to the results of an internal review by DPS that ABC News received. Body camera footage revealed that when asked by fellow officers if she had children at the school that day, she responded: “If my son had been in there, I would not have been outside. I promise you that.”
The shooter was in the school for 77 minutes before he was finally stopped. Following the massacre, Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, stated that the on-scene commander made “the wrong decision” by not entering the school immediately to confront the shooter.
However, suspension isn’t enough: those officers deserve to be terminated for inaction resulting in the loss of 21 lives.
