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Resident warns of security gaps at Edinburg City Hall, urges armed guard presence
Summary
An 82-year-old resident told the council a security guard was absent at City Hall, saying he could have entered the lobby with a knife while women and children waited. He asked the council to install Class 3 armed security; he said he had informed the city manager and the police chief but no formal council action was recorded.
Alberto Ortiz raised public-safety concerns during public comment at the Aug. 19 Edinburg City Council meeting, saying he entered City Hall recently while carrying a visible knife and found no security guard stationed at the door for about 15 minutes.
Ortiz told the council he sat in the lobby among people he described as mostly women and children and said the absence of a guard made the waiting area vulnerable. He said he reported the incident to city staff, including the city manager, and spoke at the police station with an officer named Ramirez. Ortiz urged the council to provide Class 3 security — meaning armed security — at the City Hall entrance to protect older residents and other visitors.
No formal council action or motion on security staffing was recorded during the meeting. Ortiz said he had already spoken to Mayor Ramiro Garza Jr., Mayor Pro Tem Jason De Leon, Chief of Police and City Manager Myra Ayala about the issue. Staff did not announce a policy change or immediate action in open session at the Aug. 19 meeting.
