Texas DPS director says he wishes his agency had taken control over the police response to the Uvalde shooting

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw speaks during a press conference on Feb. 1. During a recent interview with USA Today, McCraw was asked why state troopers didn’t take control over the law enforcement response to the school shooting in Uvalde. “I wish we would have,” he told the news outlet. (Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune)

As the state’s top law enforcement agency faces increased scrutiny over its role in the botched police response to the mass school shooting in Uvalde in May, agency director Steve McCraw told USA Today he wishes state troopers had seized control of the operation.

McCraw, who sat down with the news outlet for an extended interview that was published Sunday, has largely blamed local police for failing to act promptly to stop the shooter. The Texas Department of Public Safety director has previously told lawmakers that he did not think it was feasible for troopers to have assumed command, but when asked by USA Today why his agency didn’t take over the reins of the police response, McCraw said, “I wish we would have.”