Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel deserves his suspension

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has been suspended by new Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Israel was the sheriff who had jurisdiction over the infamous Parkland shooting. Criticisms rained on him for what the governor described as poor leadership amidst the event that triggered gun control debates as well as reimagining the role security forces ought to play in schools.

“The massacre might never have happened had Broward had better leadership in the Sheriff’s department,” DeSantis said.

On his part, Israel described his suspension as “unjust” and rejected the governor’s’ decision, which had begun as a campaign promise. The missteps attributed to Israel’s tenure include things like an inadequate public address system, as well as his officers not entering Stoneman Douglas High School to confront the shooter, despite immediately arriving on the scene, unlike responding officers from Coral Springs.
Although it’s clear that any reprimand is by nature a baggage of personal and professional inconveniences, we also realize that the main motivator behind the suspension was electoral politics.

Despite this, DeSantis’ call was the right one.

Israel’s career, despite being a generally successful one, has been irreparably damaged. The Parkland tragedy was not the first time his leadership was called into question. Prior to the tragedy, an emergency situation erupted at the Fort Lauderdale airport in 2017. Similar to Parkland, his reaction was chaotic and scattered, and could have led to a darker turn of events.

Sheriffs are one of the most important safeguards in our communities; and we should never hesistate to hold them to the highest possible standards. The fact that Israel’s suspension was carried out in the backdrop of political tumoil does not change the fact that it was the right decision.

And part of being an effective safeguard involves making hard decisions in shocking scenarios; being level-headed, and willing to put officers in danger, if needed, in order to protect citizens. Based on Israel’s reaction in the past two high-profile situations where such instincts are required, his time as sheriff must end.

And we hope that Israel’s interim replacement, Gregory Tony– a man who spent almost a dozen years working with the Coral Springs Police Department– will strengthen the community and learn from his predecessor’s mistake.

Be the first to comment on "Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel deserves his suspension"

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*