SAN ANTONIO — The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) allowed its former police chief to clean up a portion of his resume that would alert potential employers to questionable performance, a new report finds.
Texas 2036, a nonpartisan think tank, secured records that indicate Arredondo successfully upgraded his "discharge status" via appeal. He won by default because the school district did not object.
"It's a really stark example of how the system doesn't work very well," said Luis Soberon, a policy adviser at Texas 2036.
When law enforcement officials separate from their employers, the employers must designate their discharge as "honorable," "general" or "dishonorable." The designation is visible in a state database which tracks officers' training and conduct.
In theory, the discharge designation should prevent officers with questionable records from escaping accountability when they move jobs.
"The idea is that a general and a dishonorable discharge would serve as a red flag for future law enforcement employers," Soberon said. "Something bad must have happened."
But the vague designations don't specify why the law enforcement agency separated from an employee. The discharge status doesn't distinguish between police officers fired for criminal conduct and officers fired for backtalk, for example.
"When a hiring agency is doing a background investigation, that investigation is only as good as the information they get," Soberon said.
Officers can appeal their designations, but the proceedings are kept secret.
Texas 2036 found that 60% of officers who successfully upgraded their statuses in 2021 won appeal by default because their former employer refused to object.
"It costs time and money to fight these appeals," Soberon said. "And by the time (this) process gets rolling, the employee is already gone. This isn't a fight to get their job back."
KENS 5 on Thursday asked UCISD to explain why it didn't fight Arredondo's appeal. A spokesperson asked for two business days to respond.
It's not clear whether the district designated Arredondo's discharge as "dishonorable" or "general."
But an upgraded discharge status is not likely to help Arredondo's job prospects, Soberon noted. The ex-chief is known internationally for his role in law enforcement's failures during the Robb Elementary shooting.
But Arredondo is not the only Robb Elementary responder fighting his discharge status. Former Uvalde police lieutenant Mariano Pargas wants his discharge status upgraded from "general" to "honorable," a city official confirmed to KENS 5.
The city plans to fight the appeal at a hearing in July.
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