Taking a look at Miami-Dade, Broward's readiness to maintain school safety
MIAMI - The school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee raised questions about the safety of schools. CBS News Miami examined both Broward and Miami-Dade Public Schools to learn what procedures were in place to address those concerns.
Tuesday, Broward School Board members were confronted by Hollywood Police Chief Chris O'Brien about the failure of the district to come to an agreement on a contract for school resource officers. He said it's been almost eight months, and no agreement has been made. As a result, the district is not in compliance.
According to O'Brien, the money to fund SROs is falling on individual police departments and the district has yet to pay for those salaries. He revealed that he and other police chiefs will now be handling contracts by each individual department. They are calling for a contract to be finalized that would include: reimbursement for the salaries of those officers and their supervisors, plus a three-year deal.
Though an agreement has yet to be made, O'Brien says all Broward schools have been staffed with SROs this school year.
In Miami-Dade, officers there have undergone training to ensure school safety. They tell CBS News Miami, they have a command center that houses 18,000 school cameras, and their officers conduct year-round use of force, de-escalation, and crisis intervention training. He also says all school administrators are required to have an Alyssa Alert mobile panic button.
We asked to interview the district's police chief. They instead sent us this statement saying, "Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Miami-Dade Schools Police Department are closely monitoring the situation and events surrounding the senseless tragedy in Tennessee. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families that have been directly impacted by this tragedy and to the entire Nashville community. We remain vigilant and on heightened alert. We urge the community to report suspicious activity to local authorities or via FortifyFL."