Maybe a Texan can explain

It took 40 minutes or more to breach the school and take down the shooter. And when it was done, it was done by a tactical squad from the U.S. Border Patrol -- we are talking about 50+ miles from the border -- that the Texas Governor claims is ineffectual and not doing their job, while Uvalde residents complained their local law enforcement stood around outside doing nothing.

Have y'all asked Gov. Abbott to define effectual without using political labels?

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Heartlander · 80-89, M

I don't now live in Texas but am a self proclaimed Texan who once lived a hundred miles or so from Uvalde, and with deep ties that go back to the beginning of the Republic ...

Also, I'm an analyst by occupational history, a systems person, and one who has a bit of insight into how government and agencies work, and also have a bit of insight of how the media responds to such incidents.

The investigation is still in process and there are still many unknowns. But, from what I saw from today's press briefing ...

It's uncertain why Salvador Ramos picked that particular door to gain entrance, possibly it was random and just happened to be the closest door when he wrecked his vehicle. Or maybe he intentionally wrecked his vehicle near a door that he intended to use.

They said the door was unlocked and there was no security officer to confront him. Considering the proximity to the (staff?) parking lot, that may explain why that door may have been unlocked, or possibly jimmy-rigged to remain unlocked. Or maybe it was locked and he had the key (I believe his grandma once worked there). Or maybe it was locked and he shot out the locks.

We'll probably learn more about the above later, but regardless of which, per press briefing, he immediately went to one or two rooms and started murdering. By this time the local police were responding and had multiple missions. One was to help lock down the remainder of the school and the other being to find, isolate and engage the active shooter. They did both. Per the press briefing, the local police did all that and was communicating with the shooter who had barricaded himself, and during the engagement some of the police may have been injured. Once cornered and isolated he was possibly no longer an imminent danger except to anyone who tried to charge his position. To take him out completely, without further endangering the police or remaining children required a tactical team with resources, so the role of the local police would have been to keep him pinned and talking until the tactical unit arrived.

The sad part is that the teachers and children were likely all murdered within those first few minutes; but for those next 40 or 50 minutes the local police successfully prevented him from shooting more children. We will at some point know about the communication between Ramos and the police. The significance of that 50 minutes probably affected the lives of those injured who may have been saved had they been given medical attention earlier. Had the local police not waited for the tactical team, their efforts may have instead flushed him out where he could have continued to shoot more children.

This is just my analysis based on the news briefings.

Stories about parents trying to gain access to the building while the shooting was in process are both understood and disturbing because they consumed police resources that may have been better used to lock down and isolate the other children in the building. We don't know whether that shooting was between the local police and Ramos or directed at the children, but considering that the local police were in the building and engaging Ramos, it's more likely that it was between the police and Ramos.

dancingtongue · 80-89, M

@Heartlander Thanks for a thoughtful description of the protocols in place. Having been in crisis management most of my career, I agree that is the most likely and reasonable plan in place. Again, my question is about the Governor's tendency to constantly blast the Feds, and the Border Patrol in particular, as being ineffectual, and whining about Texas having to do their work for them, and wooing businesses and employees with the lure of low to no taxes -- but when things hit the fan: who do they turn to and wait for to bail them out? Those ineffectual Border Patrol Tactical Units from the Feds primarily funded and subsidized by the other states. My issue was with the political rhetoric, not the tactics/strategy on the ground although others unfortunately went in that direction.

Heartlander · 80-89, M

@dancingtongue

I'm aware of a general level of animosity between the local (border area) citizenry and the Border patrol which probably extends to the local government relations with the federal government. My general sense is that it's rooted in the Border patrol and federal government exercising its authority without regard or sensitivity for the locals. Also there's conflicting authority between state and federal government. Our wavering federal border policy as well as the drug-crime spill-over from Mexico probably helped raise the animosity a few notches where the locals feel they are caught in the middle.

Mexicans and Hispanic Americans look alike and often sound alike, so it's disturbing for most American citizens who happen to be Hispanic to be detained at Checkpoint Charlie or at a border crossing while a Border Patrol agent with a big German Shepard at his side grills him or her about their citizenship; and while non-Hispanic looking Americans get waved by with just a 3 syllable grunt. Also, the Border Patrol has the freedom to trample anyone's land at will. Ranchers and farmers tend to take offense when someone, even the police, prowls their property without first asking permission.

Patrol boats in the river, blimps overhead, helicopters wizzing by, Border Patrol vehicles stopping to investigate someone changing a flat tire but not helping them. Meanwhile border towns have been turned into holding and processing centers for the millions rounded up. That, in addition to the fear of drug gangs and spill-over violence from Mexico make the area seem like a war zone. A huge departure from what was once a pretty fluid border where both US and Mexican citizens once criss-crossed for no bigger reason than just to enjoy lunch on the other side and felt safe doing so.

There's an old saying about "One River - One People". There was once even a Republic of the Rio Grande. See-sawing border policies and he failed war on drugs ended all that. The area was once solid yellow-dog Democrat, but no more, So enter me-me-me-too O'Rourke to rush in from El Paso to remind us that it's going to be all about politics.

dancingtongue · 80-89, M

@Heartlander The animosity between local law enforcement and Federal law enforcement is pretty well documented everywhere, although in most of the country is with the FBI, ICE, and ATF. All tend to want to big foot the local police, ignoring the fact that the local police should know the local culture and terrain better. (Alas, too few engage in community police for that to be truly accurate, but that is another issue.) What you describe with local property being trampled and prowled, communities turned into holding cells, all brown skinned people being treated as foreigners is about what I would expect. But the rhetoric out of the politicians is all about rapists/murderers entering at will and Border Patrol doing nothing when there is a Democratic administration and how the property owners are setting out cookies and milk for the Wall builders when another brand of politician is in office.

Having grown up in a border state as poor white trash with more in common with poor people of different hued skins than other whites and know exactly what you mean about the One River One People culture that could exist if we had a functional immigration policy and rational law enforcement. I remember going across the border into Mexicali with a high school group well back into the last century, and we bought a bunch of fireworks that were banned on our side of the border. When we crossed back into Calixico, the Border Patrol officer said "You know those are against state law. But I am a Federal officer. Have a nice day."

Contrast that to New Zealand where all the police are trained at one national police academy, all taught the same protocols and procedures, all issued the same radios and radio frequencies so they can communicate with one another, but they are then assigned to local communities and operate under local community governments. So they are all operating out of the same play book rather than tripping over each other and playing Alpha dog big foot games, while at the same time recognizing that knowing the local culture and terrain is a big advantage. And, of course, like much of law enforcement in other developed countries, they only break out the firearms when they have an operation planned against organized crime that could be armed. But then they live in societies with realistic gun control laws in place, so no "gun culture" to worry about.

Heartlander · 80-89, M

@dancingtongue Yes, the border area is a bit different from the rest of the country because the federal presence is far more visible and has a bigger footprint, as is the state authority.

One thing I've not seen mentioned in the Uvalde rampage is about the brain poison music that comes along with the drugs. What would a daily dose of this kind of crap do to a kid's brain?

[media=https://youtu.be/2T_VoXsUCc4]

dancingtongue · 80-89, M

@Heartlander Can't help. Perhaps that explains why the kids in that classroom were watching the movie Moana? As a hopeful antidote?