'Our police department is not prepared' | HISD superintendent, police chief raises security concerns

HOUSTON — With just a couple of weeks left until Houston ISD returns, the superintendent said the police department is not prepared.

During a board meeting Thursday night, both the superintendent and police chief were honest.

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They said they’re confident in HISD’s active shooter training, but they’re not confident officers can take down a shooter quickly with the equipment they currently have.

HISD Police Chief Pedro Lopez told the school board all 200 HISD officers need a shield, rifle and ammunition, and they need to know how to use them properly.

He said the disturbing images from the elementary school hallway in Uvalde show officers who didn’t know how to breach a door and quickly neutralize a threat.

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HISD Superintendent Millard House II told the board it’s time to invest in that equipment and scenario-based training. He didn’t mince words.

“What I do know is if there was an active shooter in HISD, our police department is not prepared,” the superintendent said.

The board ended up tabling the discussion until closed session because there were concerns that talking about it publicly would alert someone with bad intentions about the police department’s vulnerabilities.

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But during open session, some board members questioned the spending, wanting to know if buying all this equipment is based on emotions or research.

But others shared that they’ve heard from parents who are concerned about this issue going into the new school year.

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