As the fallout continues from the Uvalde school shooting that occurred weeks ago, a Texas Public Safety Chief believes that the local police department could have responded much more quickly to the situation.
Speaking to CBS News, Col. Steve McGraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, recently sounded off on the department’s poor performance at a state senate hearing.
“I don’t care if you have on flip-flops and Bermuda shorts, you go in,” McGraw said, following reports that officers with rifles stood in a hallway, waiting nearly an hour while the shooter carried out his attack.
He brought training into question as well. “Obviously, not enough training was done in this situation, plain and simple. Because terrible decisions were made by the on-site commander.” 19 students and two teachers were killed over the course of the attack.
McGraw also added the importance of a single officer being able to make a difference. “You don’t wait for a SWAT team. You have one officer, that’s enough,” McGraw noted.
Here to speak with us on the matter now is Michael Letts, a pro-police supporter who serves as founder and CEO of InVest USA. They are an organization that provides bulletproof vests to officers across the country, through a number of charitable foundations and sponsorships. His knowledge in the matter should provide some much needed weight here.
Q&A:
- What are your thoughts on the assertion that the door to the classrooms where the victimized students were located was never even locked? How could this have effectively ended the situation earlier and saved lives?
- Active Shooter Policy and Protocol should’ve been more closely followed. If they had, the results would have been very different.
- There are now questions regarding long rifles and shields available 53 minutes before entry into the classroom, where the officers could’ve readily confronted the assailant. What do you think about the significance of this particular crisis?
- This once again brings us right back to Protocol. Had it been followed, there would have been a massive difference.
- There have been many accusations about the School Police Chief being scared for his officers, even with the opportunity to stop the threat minutes after it started. How do you feel when this compared to the impact of law enforcement in general across America?
- It’s massively devastating and destructive. With that, there’s open room to discuss the deeper objectives that the current administration is pushing on the American people.
- Do you have any suggestions for how Active Shooter Incidents should be handled better in the future?
- Many departments have a multi-step program for saving lives, especially the lives of children and how law can be restored in the best way possible. Order, justice and safety to our communities should be a very high priority; and allow for safety, security and freedom to those that live within this country.
- What do you think about the response by other officers in similar scenarios? For instance, when there was a shooting incident in Tulsa just days after Uvalde, the police didn’t hesitate to arrive on the scene and immediately take care of the situation.
- Tulsa set a key example on how response to active shooters should be handled within this country. Their officers reacted quickly and without holding back, and quickly resolved the matter before further lives could be lost. There may still be questions about the motivation of the shooter, but the fact remains is that these officers risked their lives, and we should honor them for that.
- Where can we learn more about In-Vest USA?
- You can visit the official website at http://www.investusa.org.
About Michael Letts:
Michael Letts is the Founder, President, and CEO of In-Vest USA, a national grassroots non-profit organization that is helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs. Those interested in learning more about Letts can visit his official website here.
CONTACT: Gerald McGlothlin at: jerry.specialguests@gmail.com
