By JIM VERTUNO
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas lawmakers on Monday passed a plan sponsored by Uvalde’s former mayor to fix police failures laid bare by the hesitant law enforcement response to the Robb Elementary School shooting in 2022, sending the bill to the governor days ahead of the third anniversary of the massacre.
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Nineteen students and two teachers were killed and 18 people were injured in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. Saturday is the anniversary of the attack.
The measure given final approval by the state Senate and sent to Gov. Greg Abbott is dubbed the “The Uvalde Strong Act” and is meant to correct the problems in the slow and often chaotic law enforcement response that day with better training and coordination between agencies and basic equipment requirements.
Nearly 400 local, state and federal officers waited more than an hour to force their way into a classroom where the gunman was before killing him. Terrified students inside the classroom called 911 as parents begged officers — some of whom could hear shots being fired while they stood in a hallway — to go in.
The bill’s author, first-year Republican state Rep. Don McLaughlin, was Uvalde mayor at the time and was critical of the law enforcement response that day.
“The Uvalde Strong Act is aimed at fixing the breakdowns in communication and coordination that were exposed in the Robb Elementary shooting,” McLaughlin said. “This is about keeping our schools safer. … We owe it to the families to take action that really matters.”
The bill requires school districts and law enforcement to meet annually to develop active shooter response plans, and mandates officers be trained on how to respond to an active shooter at primary and secondary schools.
The measure also requires enhanced incident command training and mutual aid agreements among agencies.
School districts would be required to have at least one breaching tool and ballistic shield available at each campus. And the bill requires emergency medical service providers to file reports if they are called to an active shooter scene.
Multiple investigations into the law enforcement response found cascading problems in training, communication, leadership and technology, and questioned whether officers prioritized their own lives over those of children and teachers.
Former Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo and former school police officer Adrian Gonzales have been charged with multiple counts of child endangerment and abandonment. Both have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled for trial in October.
The families of the victims have several lawsuits pending in federal and state courts, including a $500 million lawsuit against Texas state police officials and officers.
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