WHEN SECONDS COUNT, THE POLICE ARE ONLY MINUTES AWAY WILL FART AROUND FOR NEARLY AN HOUR EVEN AFTER THEY ARRIVE: The awful Uvalde surveillance video.

It’s awful because it brings home the extent of the cops’ paralysis in a way nothing else can. Even at just four minutes in length, with cops visible in the hallway for only about half that time, the extent of the delay is maddening. You’ll want to crawl through the screen after 60 seconds or so and head down towards the shooter yourself.

They’re outside the door of the classroom at 11:37 a.m. but a few shots from the gunman send them fleeing in terror. That’s when the long wait begins.

An officer briefly checks his smart phone at one point. Another, later in the standoff, helps himself to some hand sanitizer from the dispenser on the wall as he waits around. Ballistic shields are on scene at 11:52, but nothing happens.

There’s finally movement at around 3:15 of the clip, but pay close attention to the “real time” clock in the upper left-hand corner. The police begin making their way down the hallway at 12:21, shortly after they hear the gunman fire four more shots. But it’s another *half-hour* before they finally enter and take him down.

Didn’t we used to brand cowards, or was that just a Chuck Connors TV show?