PBSO hopes new app, mental health focus can keep schools safe
WEST PALM BEACH — Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw is leveraging technology to help prevent another mass shooting like the one in Parkland and articulating how his officers would respond differently if one were to occur.
Recognizing that teens are always glued to their phones, Bradshaw said he asked the developer of PBSO’s cellphone application if the company could design something specifically for students.
The new app, StudentProtect, has been live for about a week, he said. Students, parents or school staff can anonymously report threats or suspicious activity to police using the app for Apple and Android devices.
Users can include video and pictures with their tips, which are reviewed and sent to the appropriate law enforcement agency to investigate.
The app will track the tips to make sure officials receive the information that’s sent in and act on it, Bradshaw said. It’s a collaboration between the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Palm Beach County School District and school police.
Bradshaw was one of several speakers to address hundreds of government and community leaders at the North County Neighborhood Coalition annual meeting Wednesday morning at The Club at Ibis.
Bradshaw was first elected sheriff in 2004 and plans to seek a fifth term in 2020.
He said he wasn’t there to offer a critique of the handling of the Broward County shooting, but “I thought it was important to let you know what differentiates us from what happened down there.”
Broward County Sher- iff Scott Israel has come under heavy criticism over his agency’s handling of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 dead. The Broward Sheriff ’s Office had 23 interactions with Nikolas Cruz, who confessed to the shootings, or his family from November 2008 to November 2017, records showed.
Video footage revealed that Israel’s school resource deputy Scot Peterson stood outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day while Nikolas Cruz shot students and teach- ers with an AR-15. Some of the interactions between Cruz or his family and police hap- pened while Peterson was the Douglas High resource officer.
Israel suspended Peterson without pay, and the 54-year- old chose to retire instead.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies are equipped with helmets, bal- listic shields and rifles that are capable of fully auto- matic fire so they can inter- vene immediately in case of an active shooter, Bradshaw said.
“Every time you hear a round, that’s somebody that died,” he said.
Bradshaw said it doesn’t matter if a department has the best policies, procedures and training. Without the proper command structure, what happened in Parkland will unfold.
In Palm Beach County, tactical commanders — officers who hold the rank of captain and above — are on duty 24/7 to take charge in case of a mass shooting or other such incident, he said. They don’t leave it up to the dep- uty amid the chaos.
Addressing mental health is part of Bradshaw’s prevention plan.
Five deputies with advanced education in psychology or social work are paired with mental health professionals. They can determine if they need to initiate the Baker Act, which allows for an involuntary mental health examination, for a person police encounter on a call.
Officers investigated a teenager who posted a photo standing in a backyard with a pistol with the caption “That guy stole my idea, but I’m going back down there and finish the job,” referring to Parkland, Bradshaw said.
The team determined it was only an air gun but that the teen was having mental health issues. The teen was taken for treatment, Bradshaw said.
“It’s not all about jail every time. I know that, because I’m the biggest mental health provider,” Bradshaw said.
He said he’d like to expand the team with money set aside for school safety in the wake of the Parkland shooting.
At Bradshaw’s request, the Police Executive Research Forum is reviewing the department’s policies, behavioral science unit and active shooter procedures.
“If we can prevent it, we’ll do it, but if it happens, we’re going to take care of business the way it should be taken care of,” Bradshaw said.