Texas school police chief says he didn't think he was in charge during shooting

[Jilly_in_VA]

The Texas school police chief criticized for his actions during one of the deadliest classroom shootings in US history said in his first extensive comments that he did not consider himself the person in charge as the massacre unfolded and assumed someone else was.

Pete Arredondo, the police chief of the Uvalde school district, also told the Texas Tribune in an interview published on Thursday that he intentionally left behind both his police and campus radios before entering Robb elementary school.

An 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers behind a locked classroom door that the chief said was reinforced with a steel jamb and could not be kicked in.

(snip)

Meanwhile, poor radio communications is among the concerns raised about how police handled the 24 May shooting and why they didn’t confront the gunman for more than an hour, even as anguished parents outside the school urged officers to go in.

Separately, the New York Times reported on Thursday that documents show police waited for protective equipment as they delayed entering the campus, even as they became aware that some victims needed medical treatment.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/10/texas-school-shooting-police-chief-pete-arredondo

This guy sounds like he doesn't have his brain in gear and working.

[underpants]

1. I read somewhere just after this that the Texas Tribune would dig into this

and they have. Excellent journalist work.

[CrackityJones75]

2. You are.... The fucking police chief.... Maybe find the fuck out????

JFC. Maybe as children are being massacred you… A person in a leadership position should fucking find out if you are the person leading…. Or otherwise….. Just fucking lead as children are getting blown away.


I am sorry but how does someone say this type of stupid shit? It is insanely insulting to everyone especially the friends, relatives, and loved ones of the slain. “Duh… I didn’t know as a police chief I was supposed to do something”. Even if you thought someone else might be leading don’t you think you should find out and see what it is that your force could assist with?

I just fucking can’t anymore.

[Retrograde]

3. Your title is "chief"

as in "principal", as in "person in charge". I suspect he's a typical GQPer who believes the buck stops over there.

[TheBlackAdder]

4. First things cops say, especially when multiple departments are involved, "Who's in charge here?"

[Srkdqltr]

5. So this guy isn't a real cop? Just a security guard?

So is he chief of police or a security guard? Makes a difference.

[Jilly_in_VA]

6. "School police chief"

WTF is that? Is it supposed to mean something? Besides which he was just sworn in as a city council member in a secret ceremony. Is that supposed to give him special powers or some kind of immunity or something? This whole thing stinks to high heaven. Besides that, this guy comes across as what we in the 60s used to refer to as a complete nimnul.

[Srkdqltr]

8. That's my point. Is he a policeman or not.

Although, he did go into the school. If he wasn't a cop he had no business there.

[LisaL]

12. His title is a police chief. So that gives a clue.

NT

[Igel]

13. Texas has school police and state/county/city police.

Uvalde probably has no city police, it's too small *and* the county seat. So just county police.

School districts have their own police force. Not rent-a-cops. They're qualified police like any other police force. They *can* pull over speeders on the interstate and respond to burglaries miles from campus. They don't, not usually.

When county and district cops are on the scene they have to work out (preferably ahead of time) who's got jurisdiction. You can't have two bosses giving contradictory orders.

My district has it on paper with county and state cops--on school grounds the district police rule. The county cop 100% takes orders from the school-district police chief. Off campus, it's flipped. If the situation starts on campus and spreads, school police chief rules. Starts off campus and spread to a school campus, county police chief wins. In other words, Sgt. Mike who stands near the principal's office might answer to his boss, the school chief of police--or might find himself saying, "Sir, yes sir!" to whoever the local county or state police commander is. And Sgt. Sue, county police for the last 20 years, might take orders from the school district chief of police.

Sounds like the U CISD police chief either didn't know what was worked out, or nothing had been worked out. Given the size of the town, that's not a surprise. My school district has more high school students than Uvalde has residents.

[Srkdqltr]

14. That answers my question. Thank you.

Then the chief there had to know he would be in charge. He can't say he wasn't in charge.

[LeftInTX]

16. The City of Uvalde has a police department. Apparently 28 officers, but it seems larger to me.

https://www.uvaldetx.gov/government/city_departments/uvalde_police_department.php

They do alot of arrests...

https://www.police1.com/law-enforcement-directory/police-departments/uvalde-police-department-uvalde-TX-bebdc788d4a89d06/

Uvalde has a larger population than Leon Valley and I'm always seeing Leon Valley cops. I live in San Antonio, but drive through Leon Valley whenever I go into town.

[LeftInTX]

9. He's a real cop, behaving more like a security guard.

He went to school at Robb when he was a kid.

Thought it would be nice to come home where he knew everyone. Looking for a slower pace in life until it wasn't

[lpbk2713]

7. That should have been resolved right at the start if there was any doubt.

As opposed to standing around with their thumbs up their asses.

[LisaL]

11. Per existing protocol, he was the first most senior person on the scene.

Thus, an incident commander.
Not a clue why he couldn't figure that out.

[ecstatic]

17. Oh he knew, he just isn't as experienced with lying

as other cops from bigger cities.

[Jilly_in_VA]

18. +1000

[uponit7771]

15. +1

[H2O Man]

10. Recommended.

In a way that he does not intend, I have to agree with him.