Pete Arredondo, chief of police for the schools in Uvalde, Texas, was born and raised in Uvalde and started at the police department as a 911 dispatcher. He eventually rose through the ranks to the chief of police. He was subsequently demoted to assistant chief for “undisclosed reasons.”

In Texas, the schools have the option to contract with the city for police security or hire their own force. Arredondo left the force for the city and became the chief of the school district force in Laredo. He was eventually hired as the chief of the school district force in Uvalde. So, he was fired by the same entity that hired him.

What happened in Uvalde was “too many cooks in the kitchen.” You had the school district force, the city force and the state police. Who was in charge? Apparently, no one. Arredondo showed up on the scene with no tactical equipment, not even a walkie-talkie for communications. They should have gone in immediately. They failed the children, the teachers and the community.

Barb Adams

Stanwood