West Chester Police Are Armed And Ready For Active Shooters

WEST CHESTER, PA —Mayor Lillian DeBaptist and Police Chief James Morehead Saturday afternoon issued a joint statement informing the residents the borough police department is well prepared for any unexpected active shooter.

“Please know that your West Chester police officers understand the priority of life and always stand ready to protect and defend,” the statement said.

"Your West Chester police officers are trained and equipped for immediate action when faced with an active attack."

The mayor and chief said they recently watched a video of what occurred when an 18-year-old massacred 19 students and two teachers.

According to a report issued by a Texas House committee as reported in The Texas Tribune, a total of 376 law enforcement officers descended upon the school in a chaotic, uncoordinated scene that lasted for more than four hours.

The group was devoid of leadership, basic communication and sufficient urgency to take down the gunman, the report said.

Here is the joint statement:

“Mayor DeBaptiste and I would like to share with you some of our thoughts on the Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

The mayor and I have watched recently released video and have had discussions on the police officers seen standing in the school hallways and not taking immediate action.

As we watched portions of the released video, it was hard not to become emotional about the inexplicable display of inaction that we viewed.

The 19 students and two teachers that were killed as well as the 17 others that were wounded deserved a better response from law enforcement.

As with any mass critical incident, a thorough assessment that is fair, transparent, and independent will be completed and published in a report.

What we can tell you is that Chester County has prepared and trained hard in the event of an occurrence.

We have seen our officers put themselves at great risk to help others and have been so proud to see the way they respond to our community.”