Sheriff ’s office held back video, media argues in court

The Broward Sheriff ’s Office held back from the public when it released surveillance video recorded outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during last month’s shooting, media companies argued in court Friday.

Dana McElroy, an attorney representing the Sun Sentinel and a group of media organizations that pushed for the video’s release, said the footage that was made public March 15 “appears to be incomplete, edited and not entirely responsive” to the original request.

The news organizations are seeking the video to assess the public safety response to the shooting.

David Ferguson, attorney for the sheriff’s office, said BSO turned over all video that fit the description of the original request. He said creating a log for video from more than 60 outdoor cameras for the media’s benefit would be a waste of resources during a criminal investigation.

The video released earlier showed school resource officer Scot Peterson standing and waiting outside a building at the Parkland high school as Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people inside on Valentine’s Day.

McElroy said the video release should have included footage of other law enforcement officers arriving on the scene outside the school.

The Sheriff’s Office is investigating allegations from Coral Springs officers that other deputies held back and did not enter the building. The additional video could shed light on whether that allegation is true and give the public the opportunity to assess law enforcement response for themselves, the news organizations have argued.

The media request does not seek images from inside the school or video that shows victims of the shooting, including injured people being treated or transported by emergency personnel. “We are not seeking images of dying people,” she said.

Attorneys for the Broward School Board, the State Attorney’s Office and some families of the victims also objected to the release of any additional video.

The next hearing is scheduled for April 2.