POST FALLS, Idaho — The president of the Post Falls Fraternal Order of Police released a statement on Texas law enforcement's response to the Uvalde elementary school shooting.
Approximately 20 Uvalde law enforcement officers waited in the hallway of Robb Elementary School for more than 45 minutes before U.S. Border Patrol agents entered the classroom and killed the gunman. The commander at the scene believed the 18-year-old was barricaded inside two connected classrooms and that children were no longer at risk.
19 children and two adults were killed by the gunman inside the school.
Following the revelation that 90 minutes passed between the gunman crashing his truck and entering the school and police confirming that he was dead, Post Falls Fraternal Order of Police President Neil Uhrig released the following statement on Texas officials' response time:
"Each day, we are learning more details on what happened. I want to share how we are trained here in North Idaho. Officers are trained to immediately push towards the sound of gunfire. That means if there is an active shooter and the officer is alone, they are going in the building. If the door is locked, they are driving their car through the doors or breaching with some other method. We even incorporate the fire department into the team so they can have paramedics in the middle of the officers to provide care.
We train this way frequently using actual schools and businesses, with actors playing the part of victims.
I can assure you that here in North Idaho, law enforcement knows how to respond and we will respond rapidly. We have had a couple of actual responses in the past (that turned out to be false alarms) and North Idaho officers did exactly what they are trained to do.
North Idaho cops WILL run in to protect children. Without hesitation."