Uvalde hires private law firm to block release of documents it says are 'highly embarrassing': report

The city of Uvalde, Texas, which has come under heavy criticism for its law enforcement officials' reaction to the Robb Elementary School massacre, has now hired a private law firm to help it block the release of certain documents it says could be "highly embarrassing."

Vice News has obtained a letter sent by attorney Cynthia Trevino -- who works for the private law firm Denton Navarro Rocha Bernal & Zech -- to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that asks him to make a determination about what information the town is required to make available to public records requests from media outlets.

The letter states that there are records being requested by media outlets that involve matters such as city employees' past criminal records, although Vice News writes that the letter is composed in such a way that it "is impossible to say what records, in particular, the city and the police are referring to."

The publication says that the city is trying to block access to a broad swathe of records, including "body camera footage, photos, 911 calls, emails, text messages, criminal records, and more."

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Christopher Schneider, a professor of sociology at Brandon University, tells the publication that he is wary of the justifications the city is putting forward.

“They claim that the compilation of individuals’ criminal history is highly embarrassing information, which is a strange cover," he said. "The embarrassing information is the inept police response."

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