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Uvalde victims’ families face Texas DPS head Steve McCraw at hearing (statesman.com)
Uvalde victim’s sister confronts DPS Director Steve McCraw: ‘Your institution failed them’
Austin American-Statesman
Hours after hundreds of protesters joined the families of Uvalde victims for a protest at the Capitol to demand gun safety legislation, the older sister of Irma Garcia, one of the two teachers killed at Robb Elementary, emotionally confronted Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw as he was testifying in a House hearing.
Members of Moms Demand Action, as well as some family members of the Uvalde victims, had filled the seats in a committee room at the Capitol to attend a hearing for the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety, where McCraw was set to testify.
While most of McCraw’s testimony and the questions asked of him centered on the department’s efforts to address the fentanyl crisis, border security measures, and reduce human trafficking, as well as the challenges the department is facing in those efforts, two lawmakers asked questions related to the Uvalde massacre.
More:Texas senator continues gun safety bills push to prevent mass shootings after Uvalde
One lawmaker asked McCraw if the department had implemented any additional training in the wake of the Robb Elementary shooting. McCraw responded that the department had increased and expanded the training DPS officers do with the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center, and that the department had initiated joint trainings with independent school districts across the state to ensure better cooperation during a school shooting.
