New Uvalde police chief announces plan to overhaul department

Abigail Jones
·3 min read
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UVALDE, Texas (KXAN) — The City of Uvalde’s newly appointed Police Chief Homer Delgado unveiled a plan Monday to overhaul the police department.

Delgado, directed by the City Council and City Manager, unveiled the “Guardian Initiative,” which, according to a release from the city, is a “comprehensive plan to overhaul the policies, practices, and procedures of the Uvalde Police Department to enhance community trust and safety while modernizing the city’s police force.”

The release further stated the initiative will focus on “restoring trust and credibility, improving community relations, enhancing officer performance, implementing structural changes, and leveraging technology and innovation to transform UPD to better serve the Uvalde community.”

Delgado will hold a department-wide review of past actions to ensure transparency and accountability to start the initiative, the release said. That will include one-on-one interviews with every UPD officer. He’ll also hold a review and reform of current department policies to address outstanding issues identified in local, state and federal investigations, per the release.

This comes just weeks after his official appointment to the position of police chief following a brief stint as interim chief. He was appointed interim chief after former Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez submitted his resignation in March.

Previous: Uvalde police chief resigns, city names interim chief of police

Rodriguez had led the police department since 2018. He was on a scheduled vacation during the Robb Elementary mass shooting – the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history – on May 24, 2022. The acting police chief at the time of the shooting, Lt. Mariano Pargas, stepped down from the department in November 2022, the Associated Press reported.

In the week prior to Rodriguez’s resignation, an independent investigation commissioned by the City of Uvalde left families demanding accountability for officers who waited over an hour to intervene as a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers. The report recommended all Uvalde police officers be exonerated of wrongdoing in their response to the shooting.

RELATED: DOJ Report: Texas DPS refusing assistance and delaying investigation

As part of the Guardian Initiative, the release said Delgado also plans to implement “rigorous new training standards and expand professional development programs to ensure the Uvalde police department is operating at the top of its potential.” The Guardian Initiative will also expand neighborhood outreach and integration and “emphasize UPD’s accountability to the citizens they protect.”

Per the release, as part of the Guardian Initiative, UPD will:

  • Initiate a department-wide meeting to ensure transparency and accountability regarding past actions reflect the standards of the department;

  • Prioritize and substantially expand community outreach;

  • Dedicate time and funding to new training and development programs;

  • Assess, review and reform policies and procedures to better reflect the needs of the community; and

  • Ensure the department has the right equipment to address challenges of modern law enforcement.

“As officers, we are accountable to the people who depend on us, and we must demonstrate the highest levels of professionalism and responsiveness to carry out the core mission of every single officer – protecting the safety of the Uvalde community. The Guardian Initiative is key to the transformation of our department, and will require hard work, discipline, extensive training, and community engagement to enhance the department’s capabilities while ensuring integrity and transparency in our operations. We look forward to working hand-in-hand with the entire Uvalde community as UPD undergoes these critical changes to keep Uvalde Safe.”

Uvalde Police Chief Homer Delgado

According to a prior release on the appointment of Delgado to the position, he was hired to the department last year and has since initiated process and policy improvements, conducted evaluations of current employees, policies and department practices, as well as identified areas in need of improvement and taken steps to address them.

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