SAN ANTONIO — Eight months after announcing the creation of an assistant police chief position in the aftermath of the Robb Elementary shooting, Uvalde officials have appointed Dilley's current police chief to the job—a key step in re-establishing trust with a community that's often shown frustration with local law enforcement since the May 24 tragedy.
Homer Delgado begins on May 8, according to a city press release citing his "26 years of diverse experience, including prisoner transportation, patrol, criminal investigations, hostage negotiations, tactical response, prosecutorial investigation and police administration."
"In his tenure (in Dilley), he has done an excellent job of building strong, transparent relationships between the citizens of Dilley and the police department," the release goes on to state.
Delgado was also one of nearly 400 law enforcement officers who responded to the Robb tragedy, when 21 people were shot and killed, including 19 kids. Uvalde Police Department Lt. Mariano Pargas took on the role of acting police chief as UPD head Daniel Rodriguez was out of town at the time.
In November Pargas retired, having been put on administrative leave in the wake of a Texas House committee report criticizing him for establishing an ineffective command post. Delgado, meanwhile, organized a police effort to support Uvalde in the days after the Robb shooting.
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said in an August meeting that he expects the assistant chief to be in Uvalde when the chief is out of town, and vice versa.
Councilman Chip King added at that same meeting that the city’s budget committee had already worked the position into Uvalde's budget for the coming fiscal year.
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