The Uvalde Police Department has publicly disclosed its new active shooter protocol, over two years following the Robb Elementary School tragedy that claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers. According to a KENS 5 report, the department posted on Facebook about a multi-stage plan developed with the Texas Police Chiefs Association and the ALERRT Program at Texas State University. This initiative aims to better prepare the department to swiftly and effectively respond to active shooter situations.

In a statement obtained by News 4 San Antonio, Chief Homer Delgado explained that the "Active Shooter Violent Response Strategies Policy" includes multiple phases designed to gradually enhance the department's response capabilities. The phased training will encompass e-learning courses, site visits, and multi-agency training exercises. Delgado emphasized, "We aim to complete all phases and document them in our best practices files and personnel files," The chief highlighted their commitment to ensuring our professional culture and practices with our policies, ensuring the safety and security of our community. The full plan outlines a systematic procedure to both introduce and solidify new protocols among UPD staff.

The new policy addresses various operational facets, from reviewing violent encounter policies with supervisors, distributing mass casualty incident checklists, and coordinating with mutual aid agencies, as reported by KENS 5. It also encompasses specific training for different ranks within the department, including telecommunicators and officers, to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the active shooter response across the board.

Implementation of this strategy is already underway, and the UPD is preparing to extensively review and assess critical facilities as part of the plan. A more advanced phase, still scheduled, will include joint exercises with partnering agencies to test the readiness and coordination in simulated emergency scenarios. Chief Delgado reiterated the commitment to aligning the force's culture and practice with defined policy, as mentioned in his quote to News 4 San Antonio, saying that the updates and training sessions are part of a "systematic rollout" to strengthen response capabilities in the grim event of future active shooter incidents.

With the new policy released and detailed plans in motion, the Uvalde Police Department is taking significant, tangible steps to ensure that the community and its members have a stronger security framework to rely on.