Uvalde school district has suspended its entire police force following the horrific attack in May that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
The force has come under scrutiny for its handling of the deadly shooting attack at Robb Elementary School five months ago.
Now, the district has said it has suspended all activity from Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Department for an unspecified ‘period of time’ pending the results of an investigation into the shooting which are expected to be released last this month.
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The force was made up of five officers and one security guard, according to its website.
The district also said it had placed one officer and the director of student services on ‘administrative leave’.
In a statement released yesterday, Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District said: “As a result of the recent developments, Lt. Miguel Hernandez and Ken Mueller have been placed on administrative leave, and 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. Ken Mueller has elected to retire.”
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The statement continued: “The District will continue to engage with the Texas Police Chiefs Association who is conducting a Management and Organisational Review. The results of this review will guide the rebuilding of the department and the hiring of a new Chief of Police. We expect to have a report later this month.
"Also, as previously stated, JPPI is conducting an investigation into the UCISD police officers’ response to the May 24, 2022 tragedy. Results of the investigation will inform future personnel decisions.”
Families of the victims of the attack have welcomed the decision to suspend the force.
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Berlinda Arreola, the grandmother of victim Amerie Jo Garza, told ABC: "This is the perfect example of why we didn't stop.
"We are going to continue because there are other children that still go to school here. We have a lot of siblings of the deceased that go here," she said. "We want to make sure our kids are secure and protected. And we want to make sure that the people protecting them are willing to protect them."
Following the announcement, the Texas state senator who represents Uvalde, Roland Gutierrez, said: “The Uvalde massacre shocked the conscience of our nation. This cannot be the end; we still need full transparency and justice from every agency and every level of government that failed us in Uvalde.”
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Claire Reid