Some Uvalde police officers failed to record body camera footage while responding to Robb Elementary, texts reveal

UVALDE, Texas – Despite more than two dozen Uvalde police officers responding to the 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary School, records released by the City of Uvalde include body camera video from only five of them.

The body camera videos are among a trove of records released by the city days after a district court judge ordered their release.

KSAT reviewed twelve body camera clips from the five officers, which included a look at the moment law enforcement breached classrooms more than 70 minutes after the gunman entered the school.

19 kids and two teachers were killed on May 24, 2022.

A Texas House investigative report released in July 2022 revealed that 25 UPD officers were among the hundreds of law enforcement officials who descended on the elementary school during the response to the shooting.

Records released include text messages sent three days after the shooting, Lt. Jason Bobo with the Texas Rangers reached out to Uvalde Police Sgt. Eduardo Canales to ask for body and dash camera footage.

“I’ve got most of the body camera footage,” wrote Canales in a text to Bobo. “However, some officers either were not recording or did not have time to grab a body camera from the PD as they rushed over to the location.”

Uvalde police’s policy for body-worn cameras, which went into effect in 2015, states that officers who are equipped with one have to must activate it during:

• Traffic stops

• Pursuits

• DWI investigations, including field sobriety tests

• While serving warrants

• Investigatory stops

• Any contact that becomes adversarial

The policy also says officers should activate the camera when detaining or making an arrest, trying to detain or make an arrest, or in a situation when they’re likely to detain or arrest someone.

“These recordings can be useful for the documentation of evidence, the preparation of offense reports, and future court testimony,” according to the policy. “These records can also protect employees from false allegations of misconduct and be of use when debriefing incidents or evaluating performance.”

Related on KSAT.com