Commission On Parkland Shooting Discuss Role Of Campus Cops
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SUNRISE (CBSMiami/AP) - The commission investigating the mass school shooting in Parkland discussed the role of campus police officers and changes to the state's mental health laws.
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission was scheduled to make recommendations Wednesday on how many school resource officers each school should have based on the number of students and what the officers' duties should be.
The commissioners discussed the response of Deputy Scot Peterson, who was working at Stoneman Douglas when Nikolas Cruz allegedly killed 17 students and staff members. Video shows the deputy didn't enter the building where the shooting occurred. Critics say he should have tried to shoot Cruz.
Peterson has been subpoenaed to testify before the commission. He's said at the time of the shooting, he was unsure where the shots were coming from
The commission also made recommendations for changing the state law that governs the involuntary commitment of anyone who is mentally ill and potentially dangerous.
The sheriff leading the probe into the massacre says the commission's investigators have conducted more than 300 interviews.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission on Wednesday that interviewees have included Broward County sheriff's officials, Coral Gables police, students and staff at the school and friends, family, neighbors, and therapists of Cruz. Those interviews are being presented to the commission, which includes law enforcement, education, and mental health officials, a legislator and two parents of victims.
The commission will prepare a report by January 1st, 2019 on the shooting and what led up to it. It will make recommendations for the Legislature and next governor on changes to law enforcement, schools, and the mental health system.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)