Uvalde police did not disclose some body cameras to the DA

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers updated on the most essential Texas news.

The Uvalde Police Department disclosed Wednesday that it failed to release some of the officer’s dashcam and cruiser dashboard footage from the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting to news organizations, including The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, as part of an agreement to settle a lawsuit.

Police Chief Homer Delgado said that after the city released a batch of files to news organizations on Saturday, an officer notified the department that some of his body camera footage from May 24, 2022, was missing. The chief said he ordered an audit of the department’s servers, which turned up “several additional videos” that should have been released.

Delgado said the department turned the footage over to District Attorney Christina Mitchell for review and ordered an internal affairs investigation into how the error occurred. That investigation will determine which department employees are responsible, he said, and what disciplinary action may be warranted. The city will also review the judge’s order governing the release of the documents to ensure it complies with the terms of the settlement with the news organizations, Delgado said.

“I have ordered an immediate review of all UPD’s image collection and storage protocols and will institute a new process to ensure our department is held to the highest standards,” Delgado, who joined the department last year, said in – a statement. “The Uvalde community and the public deserve nothing less.”

The revelation that Uvalde police withheld footage from a lawsuit with news organizations comes as the department tries to regain trust with city residents, many of whom have called for transparency about officers’ botched response to a shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers.

It is unclear whether the prosecution had access to that footage while evaluating whether the officers’ conduct during the shooting was criminal. Mitchell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In June, a grand jury indicted former Uvalde School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo and Officer Adrian Gonzales on felony child endangerment charges. No Uvalde Police Department officers have been charged.

Delgado did not say which officers or cruisers the missing footage belonged to. Twenty-five city police department officers responded to the shooting, according to the Texas House report on the shooting.

The full program is now LIVE for Texas Tribune Festival 2024happening September 5-7 in downtown Austin. Explore the program with over 100 unforgettable conversations on topics covering education, the economy, Texas and national politics, criminal justice, the border, the 2024 election and more. See the full program.