Catherine Torrez is the former Police Chief of Cockrell Hill and Captain of White Settlement ISD Police. She knows what all goes into ensuring the safety of students and teachers.
Like so many others, she wondered: What could’ve been done differently at Robb Elementary School?
“In this day in time you can’t afford to say, ‘well maybe next year,’” she said.
Her past experience has shown that she has prepared for moments we hope never happen.
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“You do the drills. And that way the students learn how to do what you’re supposed to do,” Torrez said. “While I was there, I wrote every single lockdown drill plan. Every single plan for every campus and every single event.”
The State House Investigative Committee found plenty could’ve been done differently in Uvalde. In its report, the committee says this about its findings on the school itself.
One sentence reads “With hindsight, we can say that Robb Elementary did not adequately prepare for the risk of an armed intruder on campus.”
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The report goes on to say the school had a culture of noncompliance by school personnel, that the district did not treat the maintenance of doors and lock with appropriate urgency, and there was low quality internet service and poor mobile phone coverage.
On top of that, three exterior doors were unlocked and the list of findings goes on.
Torrez said moving forward, school leaders and law enforcement must be proactive.
“I need to talk to your head custodian or maintenance person who knows this building like the back of their hand. And I need to take them through every door that’s here,” she said. “That’s just the first thing you have to do, because if that’s my campus I need to know where everything is.”
Torrez said she’s trained countless students and educators, and major drills should be done in within the first quarter of every school year, and follow-up drills should come later in the year.
She said the possibility of an active shooting is a reality all districts must come to terms with.
“Sadly, it is,” Torrez said. “I don’t see it stopping anytime soon.”
