Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Credit: Wikipedia
Just days after Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Broward County’s Sheriff in connection with the deaths at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, another longtime law enforcement leader has been dismissed and other sheriff’s officials have turned in paperwork to resign or retire, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
New Gov. DeSantis launched what has become a progression of departures at the Broward Sheriff’s office, when he issued an executive order on Friday to suspend Sheriff Scott Israel.
“Sheriff Israel has repeatedly failed and has demonstrated a pattern of poor leadership,” DeSantis said in a statement. “He failed to protect Floridians and visitors during the tragic Fort Lauderdale International Airport shooting in 2017. He failed in his duties to keep our families and children safe during the devastating shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018.
These incidents demonstrate Sheriff’s Israel’s repeated incompetence and neglect of duty. The families of the victims deserve accountability. It is my job as Governor to ensure that the safety of our local communities, especially the safety of our children, is paramount. Government officials must be held accountable for their actions, and/or inactions. For these reasons, I am suspending Sheriff Israel from office effective immediately.”
DeSantis then appointed Gregory Tony as Broward’s Sheriff. He’s a former Coral Springs Police sergeant who will serve as Broward County’s first African-American sheriff.
Since then, Broward sheriff’s official Frank Adderley was dismissed — he was a part of Israel’s command staff and oversaw community outreach, the civil division and other duties. He was a former Fort Lauderdale police chief, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Five other members of Israel’s command staff have turned in paperwork to resign and retire, according to the newspaper.
They are Col. John “Jack” Dale, undersheriff Steve Kinsey, Maj. Kevin S. Shults, all high-ranking officials, as well as Maj. Chadwick Wagner and Col. James Polan, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
The shootings that killed 17 students and staff at South Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School launched new state laws and a commission to investigate what went wrong at the school.
A lengthy report showed that numerous officials were to blame for the tragic innocent at the school.
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