Uvalde Police Department Spark Backlash For Job Advertisement After Fatal School Shooting
They're receiving hordes of backlash.
Twitter | Facebook The Uvalde Police Department is facing backlash after advertising a job posting following the controversy over their response to the Robb Elementary School shooting.
The City of Uvalde posted the job hiring poster on their Facebook page, only to be met with a barrage of comments criticizing them.
Photo: Facebook
"They should be looking for new a chief and admin staff more than patrol," one person commented.
Another person added, "I hope they are firing everyone involved."
Earlier this month, Uvalde announced plans to hire more school officers following the aftermath of the elementary school shooting, despite various reports emerging that the officers dispatched to the scene had waited over an hour to enter the building.
During a press conference on June 9, Hal Harrell, the superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, announced that the district's police department would expand the size of its force.
"It is our goal to hire additional officers to be assigned to each campus for the upcoming school year," Harrell said during the press conference.
According to The New York Times, after arriving at the school, police waited over an hour in order to supply officers with "protective equipment to lower the risk to law enforcement officers."
Since the devastating shooting that happened last month, which ended with 19 children being killed and two teachers, there have been a string of failures done by the responding officers on the scene that have now come to light.
Following the reports that officers waited for backup before moving into the school where the gunman was barricaded inside a classroom, experts called the tactic "disgusting."
The most recent revelation comes after a door to a classroom where the Uvalde school shooter was holed up was allegedly unlocked while police searched for a key to get in.
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw confirmed recent reports that the adjoining classrooms are only locked from the outside, so the gunman, and anyone, could have entered.
"There's no way to lock the door from the inside and there's no way for the subject to lock the door from the inside," McCraw said.
"One hour, 14 minutes, and 8 seconds. That’s how long the children waited and the teachers waited in rooms 111 (and 112) to be rescued," he continued.
"And while they waited, the on-scene commander waited for radio and rifles; and he waited for shields and he waited for SWAT."
Much of the blame has fallen on Police Chief Pete Arredondo, who had led the law enforcement response to the shooting, though he has since defended his actions.
On June 21, Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin claimed there's "no coverup" of the city's handling of the shooting, though McLaughlin then seemed to retract his statement later on during a city council meeting.
"I'm gonna be throwing people under the bus tonight in a speech because for too long, we've been told we can't talk, we can't answer, and we can't say anything. Today that's over with," he said.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.