‘On That Day Law Enforcement Failed’: Former Counterterrorism Chief Criticizes Uvalde Response

A former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) counterterrorism chief criticized law enforcement’s response to the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, as a failure.

Former DHS counterterrorism chief John Cohen shared the remarks during an interview with Jonathan Karl on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.

“John, it was a failure,” Cohen began. “I’ve been in law enforcement almost 40 years. I’m proud of my profession. I respect the men and women who are out there each day trying to make our communities safe, but at the end of the day, we had 21 people die. We had 19 children die. We had people potentially die while law enforcement was on the scene,” he said.

Cohen also cautioned that more information will come out that will determine factors that could have been better addressed. However, the end result was a tragedy that ended the lives of 19 children and two teachers at the hands of a single shooter.

“We’ll learn more in the days ahead about whether they were properly equipped and whether they were properly trained, whether the incident command system worked as it should, whether the incident commander made the right decisions, whether there were communication issues or information sharing issues, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t change the outcome.

The former counterterrorism chief argued that those who wear a badge have made a commitment to protect those in need.

“When you put on that badge, you make a commitment to safeguard the community and protect those who cannot protect themselves, and on that day law enforcement failed” he added.

Former DHS counterterrorism chief John Cohen describes law enforcement response to Uvalde shooting as a “failure.”

“When you put on that badge, you make a commitment to safeguard community and protect those who cannot protect themselves.” https://t.co/EP9lfhTvgA pic.twitter.com/S9ng25nAYq

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 29, 2022

The interview follows growing criticism of law enforcement after new details revealed a response time between the time officers first arrived at Robb Elementary School and when the shooter was later engaged and taken down in the classroom more than an hour after their arrival.

New information has also revealed that the shooter entered an open door at the school and was not confronted by a school resource officer.

The shooter reportedly locked himself inside a classroom where he remained with students for an extended period before a local Border Patrol agent and two other agents forced their way into the classroom to take out the shooter.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott noted that, “Uvalde has been shaken to its core.”

He added, “Families are broken apart. Hearts are forever shattered. All Texans must come together & support the families who have been affected by this horrific tragedy. We will continue to work with @TxDPS & law enforcement to investigate this crime.”

Uvalde has been shaken to its core.

Families are broken apart. Hearts are forever shattered.

All Texans must come together & support the families who have been affected by this horrific tragedy.

We will continue to work with @TxDPS & law enforcement to investigate this crime.

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 25, 2022

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