Commission focuses on law enforcement, school security

The state commission investigating the Parkland school massacre will open what may be its most important week of hearings Tuesday, with four days that will focus on issues with law enforcement and school security.

School deputy Scot Peterson, who resigned in disgrace following his widely publicized failure to confront the killer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, has been subpoenaed to testify at 2 p.m. Thursday. It’s unclear whether he will show up or whether he will invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to attempt to avoid testifying about the events of Feb. 14.

Whether or not he appears, his former boss, Broward Sheriff Scott Israel, is scheduled to testify. His agency has been criticized by some victims’ families for deputies’ performance the day of the shooting and for fumbling tips about the future killer’s plans.

Also scheduled to testify that day is Broward schools Superintendent Robert Runcie, whose administration has been criticized over insufficient school security and for not doing enough to prevent shooter Nikolas Cruz from sinking into academic and behavioral failure.

Other segments of the hearings will look at the FBI’s botched response to tips about Cruz, previously unreported warnings on social media and elsewhere about his intentions and the contents of his cell phone and internet searches.

The commission, led by Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, consists of public officials, law enforcement officers and the parents of some of the murdered children. The commission, which is meeting at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, is required to produce its first report to the governor and state Legislature by Jan. 1.

TAIMY ALVAREZ/SUN SENTINEL Kallie Marklo, Mychal Bradley, Zack King and Anthony Ard kneel in prayer in front of 17 angels representing those who died in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.