• Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Advertise
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Officer Privacy
  • Jobs
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Law Officer
Law Officer
No Result
View All Result

Uvalde school Police Chief Pete Arredondo was demoted at Webb County Sheriff’s Office earlier in career

'He just didn't fit the qualifications or the work that I set out for him,' sheriff says

Chief Pete Arredondo

Chief Pete Arredondo (Twitter)

August 4, 2022
Law OfficerbyLaw Officer
Share and speak up for justice, law & order...

UVALDE, Texas – Uvalde school Police Chief Pete Arredondo was demoted at the Webb County Sheriff’s Office eight years before he incompetently led the controversial law enforcement response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, according to reports.

Arredondo “couldn’t get along with his coworkers, especially upper staff,” Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar told the San Antonio Express-News. The sheriff also said he demoted Arredondo from assistant chief to commander in 2014.

“The basic thing I want to say is he just didn’t fit the qualifications or the work that I set out for him,” Cuellar said, according to the news outlet.

Arredondo has been heavily criticized for his response during the May 24 massacre, which claimed the lives of 21 people. Police failed to breach the classroom door containing the 18-year-old mass murderer for 77 minutes after arriving on scene.

The Texas legislature issued a report last month that found Arredondo had “failed to perform or to transfer to another person the role of incident commander.”

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw testified before the special committee in June, denouncing the police response an “abject failure,” Law Officer reported.

“There’s compelling evidence that the law enforcement response to the attack at Robb Elementary was an abject failure and antithetical to everything we’ve learned over the last two decades since the Columbine massacre,” McCraw said.

Weeks after the massacre, Arredondo said he didn’t consider himself the incident commander, Law Officer reported.

According to documents first reported by the San Antonio Express-News, Arredondo, while working for Webb County, was “reassigned from Assistant Chief to Commander” in October 2014, and that two days earlier, a Webb County employee had written “demotion” on his payroll worksheet.

Arredondo departed the Webb County Sheriff’s Office in 2017 and took a role in Laredo as a school district police captain. While applying for a subsequent position in Laredo in 2020, Arredondo highlighted his role in hostage negotiations during his time in Webb County, ABC News reported.

However, the Webb County sheriff who demoted Arredondo in 2014 held a different perspective. Cuellar told the San Antonio Express-News that Arredondo “exaggerated a little bit” about his role when communicating with Laredo.

“It wasn’t him completely. I think he exaggerated a little bit,” Cuellar said, adding that it was a team effort.

Arredondo became the police chief of the Uvalde Independent School District in February 2020. He resigned from the Uvalde City Council in July and remains on administrative leave from the school district.


Share and speak up for justice, law & order...
Tags: must-readPete ArredondoSheriff Martin CuellarUvaldeWebb County Sheriff's Office
Law Officer

Law Officer

Law Officer is the only major law enforcement publication and website owned and operated by law enforcement—for law enforcement and supporters of justice, law, and order. This unique facet makes Law Officer much more than just a publishing company, but a true advocate for the law enforcement profession.

Related Posts

Pete Arredondo

Former Uvalde schools police chief, officer indicted on criminal charges by grand jury

June 28, 2024

Hero Nashville Cops

April 2, 2023
Adriana Martinez Reyes

Uvalde school shooter’s mom jailed for making death threats

January 9, 2023
Texas Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24, 2022, when 19 people 17 children and two adults were killed by a gunman. Kindell was fired by DPS Thursday and said he plans to appeal. (Texas Parks And Wildlife Bodycam, Texas Parks And Wildlife Bodycam)

Texas Ranger Fired After Uvalde Response

January 7, 2023
Texas DPS trooper fired

Texas DPS trooper fired for inaction during Uvalde massacre

October 22, 2022
Steve Nothem

Texas police officer dies after being struck by vehicle during DUI investigation

October 19, 2022
Load More

Latest Articles

Melissa Hortman

Former Minnesota House Speaker Assassinated in Attack on Multiple Lawmakers

June 14, 2025

Sheriff: If You Throw a Brick At Our Deputy, ‘We Will Kill You, Graveyard Dead’

June 13, 2025

Former USAID Officer and Executives Plead Guilty in $550 Million Bribery Scheme

June 13, 2025

A Case Study in Federal Corruption and Media Silence

June 12, 2025

‘Completely blew it’: Former union president calls out Minneapolis Police Department leadership missteps

June 12, 2025
Pixabay

Police Shoot Man Wielding Chainsaw During Disturbance

June 12, 2025
Load More

Weekly E-Newsletter

Subscribe—and get the latest news and editorials direct from Law Officer each week!

[newsletter_form type="minimal"]

Protect Your Privacy

JOIN THE FIGHT

BE COURAGEOUS

POPULAR GEAR

Tactical Pants

Tactical Boots

 

FIND MORE…

Law Officer

© 2024 LawOfficer.com

LawOfficer.com

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact

Speak up for justice, law & order

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Advertise
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Officer Privacy
  • Jobs
  • Contact

© 2024 LawOfficer.com