Uvalde School District Suspends ENTIRE Police Department
The entire police force for the Uvalde, Texas school district was suspended on Friday amid continued intense scrutiny in the handling of the Robb Elementary School shooting in May.
CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz reported the massive suspension Friday, reporting it was what families were “wanting.”
Just in: Uvalde School suspends UCISD police department.
— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) October 7, 2022
“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,” a statement released by the district said in regards to the suspensions.
They also announced Lt. Miguel Hernandez and Ken Mueller were placed on administrative leave. Mueller has elected to retire, CNN reported. Hernandez was heading the department after the Robb Elementary shooting, while Meyer was the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s director of student services.
The district said they are “confident” student safety won’t be compromised, even with the entire force on suspension.
“The District has requested the Texas Department of Public Safety to provide additional troopers for campus and extra-curricular activities. We are confident that staff and student safety will not be compromised during this transition,” their statement reads.
The Texas Department of Public Safety will now be stepping in to cover school security in the midst of the suspension.
Parents in Uvalde recently expressed outrage after a state trooper named Crimson Elizondo whose conducted related to the school shooting was being investigated had actually been hired on by the school district. Pete Arredondo, the school district’s police chief and reportedly the on-scene commander during the shooting, was fired in August amidst investigations into Uvalde police.
What’s notable about Lt. Hernandez, Prokupecz reported, is that he is the “man responsible for vetting” Elizondo.
Watch above, via CNN.
This is a breaking news story and has been updated.
