Parkland resource officer charged with neglect, negligence related to school shooting

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (FOX 13) - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announced Tuesday the arrest of the school resource officer who was on duty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School the day a gunman killed 17 people.

FDLE said former Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson, 56, was arrested and charged with seven counts of neglect of a child, three counts of culpable negligence, and one count of perjury. According to the Associated Press, State Attorney Mike Satz said the charges carry a combined prison sentence of nearly 100 years. Peterson's bail was set at $102,000.

Continue reading below
In a news release, FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen said FDLE's 15-month investigation found Peterson "did absolutely nothing" to stop the shooting.

3 PHOTOS

“There can be no excuse for his complete inaction and no question that his inaction cost lives,” Swearingen said.

FDLE said Peterson refused to investigate the source of gunshots, retreated during the active shooting while victims were being shot, and directed other law enforcement who arrived on scene to remain 500 feet away from the building.

News of Peterson's arrest broke as victims' families, school officials and law enforcement gathered at an MSD Public Safety Commission meeting in Sunrise. A loud gasp filled the room with relief, grief, and anger.

Broward County School Board member Lori Alhadeff, who lost her daughter, Alyssa, said, "He needs to go to jail, and he needs to serve a lifetime in prison for not going in that day and taking down the threat that led to the death of our loved ones."

Meetings resume to discuss Parkland response

Gina Hoyer, whose son Luke was killed, said, tearfully, "We miss our children every day, and there’s nothing that’s gonna bring them back, and we know that. But, it hurts so much. And, I know that whatever accountability comes our way, it doesn’t bring back Luke and Alyssa. So, we’ve had to deal with that on our own. But, there needs to be accountability here. We’re standing here for a reason of failures in Broward County.”

Max Schachter, whose son, Alex was killed, had this to say about Peterson. "He was the outlier. He was the coward. I know that every other law enforcement officer from FDLE, from all across the state, cares about doing the right thing, and they’ve proved it today.”

Commissioner Swearingen said the timeline of Peterson's inaction, indeed, rises to a criminal level.

“When we saw the timeline that day, and he stood there for some 45, 48 minutes and did nothing, you know. As law enforcement officers, despite whatever policies and procedures our agencies have, we swear an oath to protect the public that we serve, and I think it says now that you will be held accountable.”

Peterson resigned and retired soon after the shooting. The Broward County Sheriff's Office said Peterson has now been fired.

Peterson was arrested at the Broward Sheriff’s Office headquarters and booked into the Broward County Main Jail. Once released, Peterson will be required to wear a GPS monitor and surrender his passport, and will be prohibited from possessing a firearm, the prosecutor said.

Peterson's lawyer Joseph DiRuzzo III didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. In the past, he has defended Peterson's conduct as justified under the circumstances.​

Parkland resource officer charged with neglect, negligence related to school shooting

 

[JoeMoma]

I suspect a good lawyer will be able to get him off most if not all of those charges,

 

[Soupnazi630]

I suspect a good lawyer will be able to get him off most if not all of those charges,

I tend to agree.

I don't know what the guy was thinking I can only guess what many cops would be thinking in a situation like this

Cops are held accountable when they take proper action such as Ferguson. Darren Wilson lost his job and was charged when he used appropriate force to stop micheal brown.

On the other hand now cops are being held accountable for not taking action

Still I think this guy is responsible for not taking action and yes he could have and should have taken action.

In the end though I have a hard time thinking he is criminally responsible

It seems like a failure he should be fired for but not necessarily convicted in criminal court.

A good lawyer might well be able to win this case.

There may be precedents for this but I doubt it

Can we really make it a crime for cops to NOT do their job when we treat them like criminals for doing it?

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

I suspect a good lawyer will be able to get him off most if not all of those charges,

I hope so. I understand the parent's anguish but they don't seem to care who they hurt or whose rights they trample.

It's not justice they're seeking, it's retribution yet I'm not hearing anything about any efforts they're taking against the person who actually pulled the trigger.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

I suspect a good lawyer will be able to get him off most if not all of those charges,

I tend to agree.

I don't know what the guy was thinking I can only guess what many cops would be thinking in a situation like this

Cops are held accountable when they take proper action such as Ferguson. Darren Wilson lost his job and was charged when he used appropriate force to stop micheal brown.

On the other hand now cops are being held accountable for not taking action

Still I think this guy is responsible for not taking action and yes he could have and should have taken action.

In the end though I have a hard time thinking he is criminally responsible

It seems like a failure he should be fired for but not necessarily convicted in criminal court.

A good lawyer might well be able to win this case.

There may be precedents for this but I doubt it

Can we really make it a crime for cops to NOT do their job when we treat them like criminals for doing it?

There is actually a Supreme Court case that ruled that the police have no duty to protect any specific member of society, This was a civil case though - Castlerock v Gonzales

Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005),[1] is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled, 7–2, that a town and its police department could not be sued under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for failing to enforce a restraining order, which had led to the murder of a woman's three children by her estranged husband.

Restraining order and police inaction
During divorce proceedings, Jessica Lenahan-Gonzales, a resident of Castle Rock, Colorado, obtained a permanent restraining order against her husband Simon, who had been stalking her, on June 4, 1999, requiring him to remain at least 100 yards (91 m) from her and her four children (son Jesse, who is not Simon's biological child, and daughters Rebecca, Katherine, and Leslie) except during specified visitation time.

On June 22, at approximately 5:15 pm, Simon took possession of his three daughters in violation of the order. Jessica called the police at approximately 7:30 pm, 8:30 pm, and 10:10 pm on June 22, and 12:15 am on June 23, and visited the police station in person at 12:40 am on June 23. However, since she from time to time had allowed Simon to take the children at various hours, the police took no action, despite Simon having called Jessica prior to her second police call and informing her that he had the daughters with him at an amusement park in Denver, Colorado.

At approximately 3:20 am on June 23, Simon appeared at the Castle Rock police station and was killed in a shoot-out with the officers. A search of his vehicle revealed the corpses of the three daughters, whom it has been assumed he killed prior to his arrival.​

 

[Soupnazi630]

I suspect a good lawyer will be able to get him off most if not all of those charges,

I tend to agree.

I don't know what the guy was thinking I can only guess what many cops would be thinking in a situation like this

Cops are held accountable when they take proper action such as Ferguson. Darren Wilson lost his job and was charged when he used appropriate force to stop micheal brown.

On the other hand now cops are being held accountable for not taking action

Still I think this guy is responsible for not taking action and yes he could have and should have taken action.

In the end though I have a hard time thinking he is criminally responsible

It seems like a failure he should be fired for but not necessarily convicted in criminal court.

A good lawyer might well be able to win this case.

There may be precedents for this but I doubt it

Can we really make it a crime for cops to NOT do their job when we treat them like criminals for doing it?

There is actually a Supreme Court case that ruled that the police have no duty to protect any specific member of society, This was a civil case though - Castlerock v Gonzales

Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005),[1] is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled, 7–2, that a town and its police department could not be sued under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for failing to enforce a restraining order, which had led to the murder of a woman's three children by her estranged husband.

Restraining order and police inaction
During divorce proceedings, Jessica Lenahan-Gonzales, a resident of Castle Rock, Colorado, obtained a permanent restraining order against her husband Simon, who had been stalking her, on June 4, 1999, requiring him to remain at least 100 yards (91 m) from her and her four children (son Jesse, who is not Simon's biological child, and daughters Rebecca, Katherine, and Leslie) except during specified visitation time.

On June 22, at approximately 5:15 pm, Simon took possession of his three daughters in violation of the order. Jessica called the police at approximately 7:30 pm, 8:30 pm, and 10:10 pm on June 22, and 12:15 am on June 23, and visited the police station in person at 12:40 am on June 23. However, since she from time to time had allowed Simon to take the children at various hours, the police took no action, despite Simon having called Jessica prior to her second police call and informing her that he had the daughters with him at an amusement park in Denver, Colorado.

At approximately 3:20 am on June 23, Simon appeared at the Castle Rock police station and was killed in a shoot-out with the officers. A search of his vehicle revealed the corpses of the three daughters, whom it has been assumed he killed prior to his arrival.​

Good to know.

I wasn't aware of that one but I did hear of one from the seventies where the police department in general was sued for failing to stop a woman for being raped.

The supreme Court ruled in favor of the police in that one as well for similar reasons

This is a case against an individual officer so there may or may not be other specific precedents. Would love to hear if there are any.

 

[Tehon]

I hope so. I understand the parent's anguish but they don't seem to care who they hurt or whose rights they trample.

Who's rights do you really think got trampled that day?

and (Peterson) directed other law enforcement who arrived on scene to remain 500 feet away from the building.

 

[theHawk]

He was a total coward and his actions/inaction led to the deaths of many students.

 

[JoeB131]

I suspect a good lawyer will be able to get him off most if not all of those charges,

Probably, but this isn't about punishing him, it's about distracting from the fact that a Nikolas Cruz can buy an assault rifle to start with.

The NRA paid Scott and DeSantis good money to do their bidding.

He was a total coward and his actions/inaction led to the deaths of many students.

Again, one guy covering a multi-building campus wasn't going to stop a rampage that was over in six minutes.

I tend to agree.

I don't know what the guy was thinking I can only guess what many cops would be thinking in a situation like this

Cops are held accountable when they take proper action such as Ferguson. Darren Wilson lost his job and was charged when he used appropriate force to stop micheal brown.

Brown was unarmed, with his hands up and 149 feet away from Wilson. His use of force wasn't appropriate..

On the other hand now cops are being held accountable for not taking action

Still I think this guy is responsible for not taking action and yes he could have and should have taken action.

In the end though I have a hard time thinking he is criminally responsible

It seems like a failure he should be fired for but not necessarily convicted in criminal court.

A few points here.

First, no one gets assigned as a school resource officer because he's a super-cop. He gets sent there because breaking up a school-yard fight is about the level of his proficiency.

The problem we have is that School yard fights involve guns these days because the NRA makes it so easy to get them.

This rampage was over in six minutes, where he had to call for backup, direct an evacuation of hundreds of kids, and then try to figure out where the shooter was. By that time, Cruz had already walked out with the rest of the kids, and was sitting across the street admiring his handiwork.

 

[bullwinkle]

I suspect a good lawyer will be able to get him off most if not all of those charges,

I tend to agree.

I don't know what the guy was thinking I can only guess what many cops would be thinking in a situation like this

Cops are held accountable when they take proper action such as Ferguson. Darren Wilson lost his job and was charged when he used appropriate force to stop micheal brown.

On the other hand now cops are being held accountable for not taking action

Still I think this guy is responsible for not taking action and yes he could have and should have taken action.

In the end though I have a hard time thinking he is criminally responsible

It seems like a failure he should be fired for but not necessarily convicted in criminal court.

A good lawyer might well be able to win this case.

There may be precedents for this but I doubt it

Can we really make it a crime for cops to NOT do their job when we treat them like criminals for doing it?

I have to agree. Based on what we know and the charges leveled against him, it is impossible to know what is right to do in such a situation. Being the first dead man on scene doesn't help the situation much. He needed backup and he needed to locate the killer and you can't do that if you're dead.

Doing the right thing is easy...it is knowing what is right to do that's the hard part. If I put myself in his shoes, I have no idea if I would have done better, so I have to wait for the judgement of those who know more than I do.

 

[SavannahMann]

There is no way, no way in hell that he is convicted of any of the charges. Perjury? He would have to admit he lied. Otherwise, the established defenses of the Cop are going to be all he needs.

As has already been mentioned, there are two civil court decisions that the Supreme Court handed down. In both of them, the Supreme Court ruled that the police have no constitutional duty to protect. It is why you no longer see To Protect and Serve on the sides of cop cars. I am sure the lawyers felt that such a statement in public would create the image of an implied contract or some such shit.

So the fact that kids died because of his inaction is not going to be a criminal act. The last charge, Perjury, is going to be taken care of as well. For decades, the police stories have differed from the stories of witnesses. When Video came about, and the video contradicted the cops story, a new defense strategy came into being. Perception.

The argument goes like this. The cop expects someone to be reaching for a gun, s/he is trained to watch for it, to expect it. The individual makes a move, if only in the mind of the cop, and then the cop fires his weapon in self defense to nothing more than a delusion. It isn’t even “temporary insanity” but an understood reaction of a cop who has been trained to react that exact way. The cops argue often in court that they just don’t have time to wait, a fraction of a second hesitation and they will be dead.

So even if he said he rushed to the sounds of the guns, while standing around confused, the argument will be he believed what he was saying was true, even if contradicted by the video, and there are tons of precedent that this is totally acceptable in the world. Hell, a Supreme Court Decision even allows cops to enforce non existent laws, if they believe they are doing the right thing.

This is a stupid action by the Prosecutor. Done for political reasons, not anything approaching Justice. Right now, Peterson’s lawyers are filing motions to get the charges dismissed under established precedence.

Cowardice is a crime in the Military. It isn’t a crime in the civilian world. And all those who scream that any restrictions on cops is going to be a death sentence. You know, the idea that cops should wait to see the gun before shooting the suspect so full of holes that he looks like Swiss Cheese. That is always claimed to be the things that will get cops killed. This prosecution is one that will get cops killed. Because now, if they don’t rush to the guns, prepared or not, properly supported or not, they know they will face prison. And so will everyone else who wants to do a mass shooting. They know that the cops will have to rush in heedless of any considerations, or face prosecution.

Even in the Military, Cowardice does not mean you have to charge heedless into a situation. It just means you can’t turn and run away.

 

[Mac1958]

Pretty interesting story. I don't know the law on this, and I didn't know that a person could be charged for not doing something in that situation.

Maybe he froze, maybe he exercised poor judgment, but whatever he did or didn't do broke a law? Or is it that he lied?

 

[Polishprince]

I suspect a good lawyer will be able to get him off most if not all of those charges,

In Far Left Broward County? Maybe you're right, this trial takes away from the gunophobic narrative the Left is pushing at Parkview.

However, in the case of the ship captain in Italy that abandoned the cruise ship a few years ago- he was convicted. So the precedent is there.

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (FOX 13) - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announced Tuesday the arrest of the school resource officer who was on duty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School the day a gunman killed 17 people.

FDLE said former Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson, 56, was arrested and charged with seven counts of neglect of a child, three counts of culpable negligence, and one count of perjury. According to the Associated Press, State Attorney Mike Satz said the charges carry a combined prison sentence of nearly 100 years. Peterson's bail was set at $102,000.

Continue reading below
In a news release, FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen said FDLE's 15-month investigation found Peterson "did absolutely nothing" to stop the shooting.

3 PHOTOS

“There can be no excuse for his complete inaction and no question that his inaction cost lives,” Swearingen said.

FDLE said Peterson refused to investigate the source of gunshots, retreated during the active shooting while victims were being shot, and directed other law enforcement who arrived on scene to remain 500 feet away from the building.

News of Peterson's arrest broke as victims' families, school officials and law enforcement gathered at an MSD Public Safety Commission meeting in Sunrise. A loud gasp filled the room with relief, grief, and anger.

Broward County School Board member Lori Alhadeff, who lost her daughter, Alyssa, said, "He needs to go to jail, and he needs to serve a lifetime in prison for not going in that day and taking down the threat that led to the death of our loved ones."

Meetings resume to discuss Parkland response

Gina Hoyer, whose son Luke was killed, said, tearfully, "We miss our children every day, and there’s nothing that’s gonna bring them back, and we know that. But, it hurts so much. And, I know that whatever accountability comes our way, it doesn’t bring back Luke and Alyssa. So, we’ve had to deal with that on our own. But, there needs to be accountability here. We’re standing here for a reason of failures in Broward County.”

Max Schachter, whose son, Alex was killed, had this to say about Peterson. "He was the outlier. He was the coward. I know that every other law enforcement officer from FDLE, from all across the state, cares about doing the right thing, and they’ve proved it today.”

Commissioner Swearingen said the timeline of Peterson's inaction, indeed, rises to a criminal level.

“When we saw the timeline that day, and he stood there for some 45, 48 minutes and did nothing, you know. As law enforcement officers, despite whatever policies and procedures our agencies have, we swear an oath to protect the public that we serve, and I think it says now that you will be held accountable.”

Peterson resigned and retired soon after the shooting. The Broward County Sheriff's Office said Peterson has now been fired.

Peterson was arrested at the Broward Sheriff’s Office headquarters and booked into the Broward County Main Jail. Once released, Peterson will be required to wear a GPS monitor and surrender his passport, and will be prohibited from possessing a firearm, the prosecutor said.

Peterson's lawyer Joseph DiRuzzo III didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. In the past, he has defended Peterson's conduct as justified under the circumstances.​

Parkland resource officer charged with neglect, negligence related to school shooting

Already a thread on this.

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

Pretty interesting story. I don't know the law on this, and I didn't know that a person could be charged for not doing something in that situation.

Maybe he froze, maybe he exercised poor judgment, but whatever he did or didn't do broke a law? Or is it that he lied?

Once in a while I agree with you.

 

[SavannahMann]

I suspect a good lawyer will be able to get him off most if not all of those charges,

Probably, but this isn't about punishing him, it's about distracting from the fact that a Nikolas Cruz can buy an assault rifle to start with.

The NRA paid Scott and DeSantis good money to do their bidding.

He was a total coward and his actions/inaction led to the deaths of many students.

Again, one guy covering a multi-building campus wasn't going to stop a rampage that was over in six minutes.

I tend to agree.

I don't know what the guy was thinking I can only guess what many cops would be thinking in a situation like this

Cops are held accountable when they take proper action such as Ferguson. Darren Wilson lost his job and was charged when he used appropriate force to stop micheal brown.

Brown was unarmed, with his hands up and 149 feet away from Wilson. His use of force wasn't appropriate..

On the other hand now cops are being held accountable for not taking action

Still I think this guy is responsible for not taking action and yes he could have and should have taken action.

In the end though I have a hard time thinking he is criminally responsible

It seems like a failure he should be fired for but not necessarily convicted in criminal court.

A few points here.

First, no one gets assigned as a school resource officer because he's a super-cop. He gets sent there because breaking up a school-yard fight is about the level of his proficiency.

The problem we have is that School yard fights involve guns these days because the NRA makes it so easy to get them.

This rampage was over in six minutes, where he had to call for backup, direct an evacuation of hundreds of kids, and then try to figure out where the shooter was. By that time, Cruz had already walked out with the rest of the kids, and was sitting across the street admiring his handiwork.

How in the world do you manage to hold on to those obviously incorrect ideals in the face of evidence?

 

[Polishprince]

I suspect a good lawyer will be able to get him off most if not all of those charges,

I tend to agree.

I don't know what the guy was thinking I can only guess what many cops would be thinking in a situation like this

Cops are held accountable when they take proper action such as Ferguson. Darren Wilson lost his job and was charged when he used appropriate force to stop micheal brown.

On the other hand now cops are being held accountable for not taking action

Still I think this guy is responsible for not taking action and yes he could have and should have taken action.

In the end though I have a hard time thinking he is criminally responsible

It seems like a failure he should be fired for but not necessarily convicted in criminal court.

A good lawyer might well be able to win this case.

There may be precedents for this but I doubt it

Can we really make it a crime for cops to NOT do their job when we treat them like criminals for doing it?

I have to agree. Based on what we know and the charges leveled against him, it is impossible to know what is right to do in such a situation. Being the first dead man on scene doesn't help the situation much. He needed backup and he needed to locate the killer and you can't do that if you're dead.

Doing the right thing is easy...it is knowing what is right to do that's the hard part. If I put myself in his shoes, I have no idea if I would have done better, so I have to wait for the judgement of those who know more than I do.

The right thing to do would have been to stand and fight and defend the children.

Mr. Petersen has already been branded as a coward, but he'll have his whole life to prove that he's a man like Chuck Connors did.

 

[ColonelAngus]

If you don’t think he should face repercussions for negligence in performing his job, you are Very misguided and likely a partisan hack who is only worried about gun control laws.

What if the manager of a nuclear power plant decided to not do their job and a million people died in a meltdown? Are you telling me you would not support the prosecution of that individual?

Ridiculous

 

[22lcidw]

I suspect a good lawyer will be able to get him off most if not all of those charges,

Probably, but this isn't about punishing him, it's about distracting from the fact that a Nikolas Cruz can buy an assault rifle to start with.

The NRA paid Scott and DeSantis good money to do their bidding.

He was a total coward and his actions/inaction led to the deaths of many students.

Again, one guy covering a multi-building campus wasn't going to stop a rampage that was over in six minutes.

I tend to agree.

I don't know what the guy was thinking I can only guess what many cops would be thinking in a situation like this

Cops are held accountable when they take proper action such as Ferguson. Darren Wilson lost his job and was charged when he used appropriate force to stop micheal brown.

Brown was unarmed, with his hands up and 149 feet away from Wilson. His use of force wasn't appropriate..

On the other hand now cops are being held accountable for not taking action

Still I think this guy is responsible for not taking action and yes he could have and should have taken action.

In the end though I have a hard time thinking he is criminally responsible

It seems like a failure he should be fired for but not necessarily convicted in criminal court.

A few points here.

First, no one gets assigned as a school resource officer because he's a super-cop. He gets sent there because breaking up a school-yard fight is about the level of his proficiency.

The problem we have is that School yard fights involve guns these days because the NRA makes it so easy to get them.

This rampage was over in six minutes, where he had to call for backup, direct an evacuation of hundreds of kids, and then try to figure out where the shooter was. By that time, Cruz had already walked out with the rest of the kids, and was sitting across the street admiring his handiwork.

We have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on schools to stop bullying over the decades. We have promoted by Prog agendas many more ways kids can be bullied also. We let kids in many schools, rule them. Progs even want to lower the age to vote. This is not the NRA, The NRA is a scapegoat for the failures of Prog agendas. Most of these tragedies happen in Prog areas. By people driven to the edge most likely with incredible pressures on them. Two working parents does not mean a fulfilling childhood. Prog parents makes it worse as we see. The blame can be attributed to many factors. But extremist feminism and the extremist gay agendas are part of it also. Dad has been emasculated in much of this nation. Most will not go to jail with a biatch wife as a threat. One must wonder if Cruz had misogyny leanings due to his mother. Anyway. The odds seem to be better for a child to survive in a more moderate school situation without other students being activists. Anyway, most of the dying are yours. You created it. Now deal with it.

 

[SavannahMann]

If you don’t think he should face repercussions for negligence in performing his job, you are Very misguided and likely a partisan hack who is only worried about gun control laws.

What if the manager of a nuclear power plant decided to not do their job and a million people died in a meltdown? Are you telling me you would not support the prosecution of that individual?

Ridiculous

I have already explained that the prosecution is likely to go nowhere. Based upon the existing precedence of the Supreme Court.

But let’s talk about those nuclear plant operators. You do realize there is a point where even they run for their lives. Are you saying the workers at Fukushima should have ignored the radiation warnings and pressed on to certain death and probable failure in an effort to stop the disaster? In the US that would have certainly violated OSHA and various safety regulations.

So let’s get serious for a change. Do we charge the FBI for not acting when they got warnings about Cruz?