Uvalde Police Try to Prevent the Release of ‘Embarrassing’ Records

Authored by nymag.com and submitted by SucksToYourAssmar3

Photo: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

The city of Uvalde, Texas, and its police department are trying to block the release of public records from last month’s deadly attack on an elementary school where law enforcement was accused of responding too slowly.

According to a letter obtained by Vice News from an attorney representing Uvalde, local authorities fear that some of the material could have “highly embarrassing information” related to the police response. The letter was written by a private law firm to lobby the state’s attorney general, who will rule which records ultimately will be released to the public.

The attorneys for Uvalde argue that body-camera footage, 911 calls, emails, and texts related to the shooting should not be released, arguing that some of the information is “not of legitimate concern to the public” and that releasing materials such as police training guides and policy manuals could reveal “methods, techniques, and strategies for preventing and predicting crime.” They also argue that many records should remain private as the shooting is investigated by state and federal authorities.

The attempt to slow the release of potentially “embarrassing” information is unlikely to help the Uvalde police in their public-image battle. Parents and the public nationwide were outraged over the police response during the attack, in which the chief of the Uvalde school district’s police force showed up to the scene without a radio and ordered officers not to engage the shooter, which did not follow protocol. In the wake of the attack, trust in local authorities sunk further, as they contradicted themselves and corrected the timeline on several occasions. At one point, the Uvalde police department and school-district police reportedly stopped cooperating with the state investigation into the shooting.

TrafficPoliceAreScum on June 18th, 2022 at 01:48 UTC »

If your town has a population of 14000, and a full SWAT team you have to be stupid if you think there is nothing shady going on.

reddicyoulous on June 17th, 2022 at 23:09 UTC »

The attorneys for Uvalde argue that body-camera footage, 911 calls,emails, and texts related to the shooting should not be released,arguing that some of the information is “not of legitimate concern tothe public” and that releasing materials such as police training guidesand policy manuals could reveal “methods, techniques, and strategies forpreventing and predicting crime.” They also argue that many recordsshould remain private as the shooting is investigated by state andfederal authorities.

Fuck these cowards. They clearly have something to hide. They're public servants, everything should be of public concern.

Gonzo_Journo on June 17th, 2022 at 22:58 UTC »

Too late, we all saw the photos of them standing out front while wearing tactical gear.