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Gutierrez firmed up as chiefFree Access


Joshua
Gutierrez

After a public hiring in November which garnered near unanimous support from the board of trustees, interim police chief Joshua Gutierrez has quietly transitioned into a permanent role with Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District. 

Gutierrez is now UCISD chief of police, the district’s executive director for marketing and communications Anne Marie Espinoza confirmed on March 10.

Gutierrez, whose salary as of December 2022 totals $99,998.22, is the third police chief at UCISD since the department’s inception in 2018. 

He follows Pete Arredondo, who was hired in March of 2020 and fired in August 2022 for his role in the law enforcement response on May 24. 

Lt. Mike Hernandez assumed interim chief duties in June and served in that role until being placed on paid leave, where he remains, on Oct. 7. Hernandez joined the UCISD PD in 2018, when Leo Flores was at the helm. Flores served from May of 2018 through January 2020.

During the Nov. 17, 2022, board meeting, interim superintendent Gary Patterson said Gutierrez holds a Master Peace Office certification from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, is certified to work as a principal and teacher, is an Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate instructor, and is also a former law enforcement officer.