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Broward’s Cowards
National Review ^ | February 25, 2018 | THE EDITORS

Posted on 02/26/2018 3:50:10 AM PST by MilesVeritatis

It is impossible to imagine circumstances under which Broward County sheriff Scott Israel could attempt to perform his duties with the confidence of the public. He should resign immediately, and if, as he promises, he refuses to go quietly, then he should be shown the door by the people he professes to serve.

The numbers tell the story: 23 sheriff’s calls involving the Parkland shooter; 18 sheriff’s calls involving the shooter’s behavior directly (some of the others were principally about his brother); four sheriff’s deputies, armed and trained, cowering outside the high school while the killer within carried out his massacre; 17 dead.

In spite of having the school’s armed “resource officer” — an on-site deputy — and three other sheriff’s deputies outside the school during the massacre, no one lifted a finger to stop the shooting until police from Coral Springs arrived and entered the building, at which point the killer escaped, walking off the campus with the rest of the stunned students. He then walked down the street to a fast-food restaurant and ordered himself a drink, and wandered around the neighborhood for a while (past an elementary school) before being spotted by a Coral Springs police officer, to whom he surrendered without incident. He eventually made his way into the Broward County sheriff’s custody — when he was delivered there in handcuffs.

Coral Springs city manager Mike Goodrum subsequently had a confrontation with Sheriff Israel he described as “heated.” We can imagine.

The failure of the Broward County sheriff’s department in this matter has been comprehensive — before and during the incident, obviously, and after it, too, with the continued sanctimonious blame-dodging of the sheriff. The sheriff’s department (and other law-enforcement agencies from Palm Beach County to the FBI) had every reason to believe not only that the killer was a danger to others but that he was specifically planning a school massacre. People who knew him called in with that specific worry, and the killer boasted online of his plan to become a school shooter. Those boasts were forwarded to the FBI, which did precisely nothing in response. The killer himself called police to tell them he had been having trouble after the death of his mother.

Pointing out these failures isn’t attacking law enforcement, as some supporters of gun control allege, but demanding minimal competence on a matter of the utmost public import. Such is the ardor of the most committed gun controllers that they are willing to look past every failure by authorities that doesn’t accord with their agenda (one of the Stoneman Douglas kids the other day said it was understandable that the SRO didn’t engage the shooter because no one wants to confront an AR-15 — of course, the officer had no idea in real time that the gun was an AR-15, which regardless isn’t particularly powerful for a rifle).

As for the sheriff, he is a pretty typical politician, hiring friends and political allies, treating his law-enforcement position as a nakedly political fief. His arrogance is astounding: When asked about his penchant for hiring his supporters and looking after his own interests first, the sheriff replied, “Lions don’t care about the opinions of sheep.” But the people of Broward County didn’t hire Scott Israel to be a lion; they hired him to be a sheepdog, a task at which he has failed so completely as to make regaining the public trust impossible. Indeed, it is not clear he ever deserved that trust to begin with. If he has any respect for his oath, his badge, or his community, he should step aside. If his sense of duty does not prevail, he should be forced out.


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: broward; school; sheriff; shooting
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1 posted on 02/26/2018 3:50:10 AM PST by MilesVeritatis
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To: MilesVeritatis

This needs to be repeated.


2 posted on 02/26/2018 3:56:22 AM PST by Reno89519 (Americans Are Dreamers, Too! No to Amnesty, Yes to Catch-and-Deport, and Yes to E-Verify.)
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To: MilesVeritatis

PC Kills


3 posted on 02/26/2018 4:00:35 AM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: MilesVeritatis

POTUS Donald Trump should have been congratulating the Coral Springs police for doing the great job.

Had it not been for the CS Police, Cruz would probably still be out there gutting a squirrel or shooting up some another school.


4 posted on 02/26/2018 4:06:29 AM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies
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To: MilesVeritatis

Near-universal criticism may not be enough for Sheriff Israel to vouluntarily resign and take “retirement”.

Well, that would have been the easy way.

Now try the hard way. Nonfeasance or misfeasance in office is still very much a crime, and if it should take a trial to remove, then whatever “honor” there was in resisting the contempt being spilled out at every quarter shall be wiped away, and great shame and continuing punishment shall follow.

Loss of pension coupled with prison time would be the least of it.

Abuse of power has its own peculiar set of rules and just rewards.


5 posted on 02/26/2018 4:08:17 AM PST by alloysteel (Coming in dead-stick, high, hot and blind, with the glide angle of a brick. What a rush.....)
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To: MilesVeritatis

“The numbers tell the story: 23 sheriff’s calls involving the Parkland shooter; 18 sheriff’s calls involving the shooter’s behavior directly”

Adam Shiff Rebuttal: “Well, yea, if a guy is shooting up a school, there will be a lot of Sheriff calls”


6 posted on 02/26/2018 4:08:21 AM PST by BobL (I shop at Walmart and eat at McDonald's...I just don't tell anyone)
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To: MilesVeritatis

This Sheriff is a real piece of work, but it goes beyond him.
The FBI was beyond useless.


7 posted on 02/26/2018 4:08:39 AM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: alloysteel

It certainly has more evidence than any “high crimes and misdemeanors” eh, Maxie Waters?


8 posted on 02/26/2018 4:12:20 AM PST by A_Former_Democrat (Hey brainwashed students . . . where's your "outrage" @FBI? @BrowardSheriff? DO SOMETHING!!)
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To: MilesVeritatis

I’m sorry, but I am VERY IMPRESSED by the response to this shooting.

Before the the bodies were even cold, the Democrats had their star player tee’d up and ready, had their enemies identified (NRA and Trump), had their friends protected (the Sheriff, the School Board). And had the media all set to carry their water.

They couldn’t have played this better, even if they had months to plan it...even if...


9 posted on 02/26/2018 4:12:28 AM PST by BobL (I shop at Walmart and eat at McDonald's...I just don't tell anyone)
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To: BobL

Schiff really said that? He doesn’t know the calls were made in the weeks and months BEFORE the shooting? Nothing like our DC critters not paying attention to current events, and then bloviating with ther erroneous opinions.


10 posted on 02/26/2018 4:15:12 AM PST by MayflowerMadam (Have an A-1 day.)
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To: MilesVeritatis

Brave Sir Robin ran away
(No!)
Bravely ran away away
(I didn’t!)
When danger reared its ugly head
He bravely turned his tail and fled
(No!)
Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about
(I didn’t!)
And gallantly he chickened out
Bravely taking to his feet
(I never did!)
He beat a very brave retreat
(All lies!)
Bravest of the brave, Sir Robin!
(I never!)


11 posted on 02/26/2018 4:16:47 AM PST by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you)
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To: BobL

And they had their scripts memorized. As if, as you say, “they had months to plan” .


12 posted on 02/26/2018 4:17:43 AM PST by MayflowerMadam (Have an A-1 day.)
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To: mylife

It goes far beyond that as well, all the way to the top of the previous administration for pressuring local law enforcement to practice political correctness — something that resulted in the end of 17 young lives.

There should be hell to pay, all the way, for this horrific result of cronyism and corruption.

Every single liberal who gets in my face about this is going to be reminded that the laws to protect were already in place. No law works if the system is corrupted.


13 posted on 02/26/2018 4:18:11 AM PST by LibsRJerks
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To: MilesVeritatis

I am ending my 26th years in law enforcement. I am a supporter of the 2nd amendment...(and the rest of them). I have seen heroics in that time... great compassion and good demonstrated by sworn and non sworn alike. I have seen dumb decisions and downright criminal actions by sworn officers around the country. I have, however, never seen actions such as this... or non action as the case here. Blue can NEVER choose itself over others. I am blessed to have been a part of a smaller, family oriented Dept that places a HIGH value on training. Since Columbine, we have trained that the first officer IS the SWAT team... and that explains the uptick in weapons and military equipment being issued to patrol officers. It seems that this is NKT the case in Broward. Granted... a pistol vs a rifle are not good odds...but to sit and do nothing is vomit inducing. If Broward trained its officer s to wait... they are responsible... for the officers to not prioritize life over policy ...if that’s the case... is more vomit inducing.... sorry for the long post / rant. I am done... and j am out of this job in July... God bless us all.


14 posted on 02/26/2018 4:19:35 AM PST by bike800
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To: MayflowerMadam
Schiff really said that? He doesn’t know the calls were made in the weeks and months BEFORE the shooting?

Be fair. Adam was up to his eyeballs concocting a response to the Nunes Memo. Why would you expect him to be up to speed on such as Parkland?

15 posted on 02/26/2018 4:19:57 AM PST by cynwoody
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To: MilesVeritatis

16 posted on 02/26/2018 4:22:44 AM PST by Travis McGee (EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: MilesVeritatis

In a military unit, the commander would be relieved due to “Loss of Confidence”.

This person should absolutely be fired.


17 posted on 02/26/2018 4:26:54 AM PST by rlmorel (Leftists: American Liberty is the egg that requires breaking to make their Utopian omelette)
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To: MayflowerMadam

I’m only kidding about Shiff. My comment was in line with some of what his crappy ‘memo response’ had in it.


18 posted on 02/26/2018 4:28:08 AM PST by BobL (I shop at Walmart and eat at McDonald's...I just don't tell anyone)
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To: MayflowerMadam

Spooky on this one. They had the plan tee’d up for sure. What we don’t know is whether they certain schools identified as to where it might be possible to execute it, and if so, was this school on their list.


19 posted on 02/26/2018 4:30:10 AM PST by BobL (I shop at Walmart and eat at McDonald's...I just don't tell anyone)
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To: BobL; MayflowerMadam
Spooky on this one. They had the plan tee’d up for sure. What we don’t know is whether they certain schools identified as to where it might be possible to execute it, and if so, was this school on their list.

They probably have a template, and all they need to do is plug in the name of the school.

20 posted on 02/26/2018 4:43:15 AM PST by COBOL2Java (The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen)
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