Police arrest ex-deputy who 'did absolutely nothing to mitigate' Parkland school mass

[Commander Wallace]

Quote: Broward County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Scot Peterson, 56, was terminated from his position and charged with multiple counts of child neglect on Tuesday after an internal investigation found that he retreated while students were under attack in the February 2018 shooting, that left 17 people dead.


The office announced Peterson’s arrest along with the termination of BSO sergeant Brian Miller. It said both officers had "neglected their duties" in the deadly shooting.


https://www.yahoo.com/gma/former-she...opstories.html


The only surprise for me is that it took this long to charge this coward.

[Jimbuna]

Pretty hard judgement call to make but if the evidence shows he failed to act similarly to other responders then so be it.

[Skybird]

Takes more than uniform to make a man,
takes more than a pistol and a badge.
Confront your enemies, do not avoid them if you can,
a police officer must act while others run.


not by Sting

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Pretty hard judgement call to make but if the evidence shows he failed to act similarly to other responders then so be it.

I think most feel Differently. Peterson knew there was a least 1 active shooter in the building. Peterson had said in interviews he was waiting for backup. While he waited, more kids were shot and killed.

He was in fact being paid well for protecting those same kids. He failed to do so then lied about it during official inquiries.

My only question is, was he ordered to wait for backup. The fact that he has been charged would seem to indicate that he wasn't.

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Pretty hard judgement call to make but if the evidence shows he failed to act similarly to other responders then so be it.

I AGREE; AS A FORMER FEDERAL BLDG SECURITY OFFICER; ATM AND PERSONAL BODYGUARD; THE PUBLIC AND THE CLIENT HAVE CERTAIN EXPECTATIONS. THE SERGEANT SAYS HIS ACTIONS WERE 'IN ACCORD' WITH HIS TRAINING PROTOCOL WHICH IS 'CURRENTLY BEING REVAMPED IN BROWARD COUNTY'. HE DECLARED A CODE RED LOCKDOWN AND ESTABLISHED A PERIMETER..... THE REAL SCAPEGOAT IS HIS PENSION :

Scot Peterson, the sheriff’s deputy vilified for failing to confront the Parkland school shooter, has begun receiving a state pension of $8,702.35 a month. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/br...515-story.html

WHICH WILL BE TAKEN AWAY IF HE IS CONVICTED; PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD NO BUSINESS PERSONALLY ATTACKING HIM PRIOR TO HIS TRIAL http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-bz-florida-school-shooting-scot-peterson-20180223-story.html
ALL THIS IS 'COPYCAT' FROM COLUMBINE 20 YEARS AGO;

That's an entirely different tactic than what was used during Columbine. Twenty years ago, police waited for a SWAT team and in those minutes the shooters kept killing. Now, in Colorado, officers are told to go in alone and get the shooter The police response to Columbine was heavily criticized at the time, leading to a drastic change in active shooter incident response nationwide. Immediate action rapid deployment (IARD) tactics replaced scene containment, leading to departments training and equipping personnel for solo officer response. While “Columbine changed everything” is a common refrain, events like the Parkland school shooting show we still have room for improvement in how we secure our schools and respond to active killers on campus.

SO HOW MANY OFFICERS WERE ARRESTED AT COLUMBINE FOR NOT CLOSING WITH SHOOTER? AS IN ANY ATTACK, TIME AND TERRAIN ARE THE KEY AND THE SHOOTER COUNTS ON A TIME ZONE FOR MAXIMUM DESTRUCTION; THE FIRST RESPONDING OFFICER, WHO HAS ELECTED TO BE IN THIS TRADE AND PROFESSION, THEREFORE BECOMES THE EXPENDIBLE OFFICER (NOT A REAL ISSUE FOR 68 YEAROLDS) IN CLOSING THE TIME-WINDOW IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES....IF HE CAN'T DO THAT HE NEEDS TO SEEK OTHER EMPLOYMENT...NO IMHO ABOUT IT

[Platapus]

Other than the perjury charge, I am not sure that what he did (didn't) do reaches to the criminal level.


I think the child neglect charges are over the top.

I don't agree with what he did, but being fired from the job and the resulting civil suits should be sufficient.

If they are going to charge Peterson, why not charge the other officers who also did not advance into the building when they arrived. How about the female captain who ordered the police to stay by their vehicles and not advance to building 12? She resigned but where are the charges for her.

At least Peterson was alone, she had multiple officers and she still decided not to advance. If one is guilty why not the other?

Prosecuting this person may set a precedent that will have undesired effects.

If the police know that they can be prosecuted for not taking action and not suffer consequences if they do take action, what is to prevent the police from going in all Rambo when the situation does not warrant it?

We are going to make action happy police even more action happy.

It is very easy to be brave and talk about what we would have done all the while being safely behind a keyboard. A politician even said he would have gone in to the building without a weapon. Easy to say.

This guy was a cop for over 30 years. I bet he has been in a lot of stressful situations and most likely handled himself well.

He was there, we weren't. He did not run away, he did not panic. I would have wanted him to take a more active role and he should have. But failing to take an active role is not the same as breaking the law.

It is important to keep in mind that we know considerably more about what happened in this incident than Peterson could have possibly known at the time.


Hindsight is 20/20. I am sure that Peterson, now could figure out a million things he should have done...If he knew what he now knows.

It is all about what did Peterson know and when did he know it. I have not seen any evidence of malicious intent. He stayed at the scene and radioed what he understood was happening.

Could he have done more? Sure. Should he have done more? Sure. But was what he did/didn't do a crime?

Even if he is a coward (and that has not been established), he was not in the military and even being a coward is not a criminal offense.

I am not yet convinced that what he did was criminal in nature, and other than the perjury charge, I think the other charges are inappropriate.

[Rockstar]

Ya. hit the nail on the head Platapus, well said.


The officer did not kill those children.

Unfortunately it seems many have in perfect hindsight made their judgment of what exactly he should have done. That's gonna make national news and will have devastating effects on this guy. I think at the very least he should be debriefed and an opportunity to retire with full pension. Given professional direction to help overcome the scenario he lived through and the crap he's gonna hear over media. But I'm afraid even with help, he will quite possibly be tormented for the rest of his life.

I know a fella who on more than one occasion placed his life in jeopardy to rescue others. The pucker factor being so great you couldn't drive a needle up his arse with a mallet, he was that afraid. It's not an easy thing finding the wherewithal to continue when the crap hits the fan and it's just as difficult to make the right decision or live with the ones that weren't.

[Platapus]

I would not be surprised if this guy ends up committing suicide.