Unanimous Vote Deals Humiliating Blow to Broward County Sheriff's Office
The embarrassment continues to pile on for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
Last week, a unanimous 13-0 vote by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation stripped the Broward Sheriff’s Office of its certificate.
According to PoliceOne, the poor handling of the tragic Parkland school shooting in 2018 and the 2017 shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport were some of the reasons the commission decided to pull Broward’s accreditation.
In a statement, Sheriff Gregory Tony said that he’s disheartened for the 5,400 employees within the agency that have to bear the consequences of the mistakes made by the previous administration.
“Since recently taking command, I have worked on improving BSO and repairing the effects of bad leadership and negligence by focusing on training and community relations,” Tony said. “I will continue working hard to ensure that all Broward residents feel safe and that our agency’s reputation and honor are restored.”
While the Broward department can continue to operate as normal without the accreditation, it’s a noticeable stain on the agency that the prestigious certificate — which demands over 250 professional standards be met — be yanked away.
In January, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order suspending Scott Israel from his position as Broward County sheriff. While the order was challenged in court, the ruling eventually favored the Republican governor.
“Sheriff Israel has repeatedly failed and has demonstrated a pattern of poor leadership,” a January 11 statement by DeSantis read. “He failed to protect Floridians and visitors during the tragic Fort Lauderdale International Airport shooting in 2017. He failed in his duties to keep our families and children safe during the devastating shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018.”
He continued, saying, “These incidents demonstrate Sheriff’s Israel’s repeated incompetence and neglect of duty. The families of the victims deserve accountability. It is my job as Governor to ensure that the safety of our local communities, especially the safety of our children, is paramount.”
“Government officials must be held accountable for their actions, and/or inactions. For these reasons, I am suspending Sheriff Israel from office effective immediately,” the statement concluded.
Despite the loss of accreditation and the suspension, Israel doesn’t appear to be backing down.
On Monday, the disgraced sheriff filed paperwork revealing his intention to run for his former seat once again, in which he would contest other candidates in the 2020 Democratic primary in August.
At the same time, Israel plans to continue to fight his suspension before the Florida Senate.
Twitter users are not thrilled with Israel’s decision to run again, with one user saying he wouldn’t even vote for the former sheriff as the local dog catcher.
“Chutzpah of the Year Award! His own officers and Broward’s people don’t want him back. For other than Democrat voters, he is persona non grata. I wouldn’t vote for him for Dog Catcher. He should just take his pension and fly to Hollywood to join the other fictional heroes.”
Chutzpah of the Year Award! His own officers and Broward’s people don’t want him back. For other than Democrat voters, he is persona non grata. I wouldn’t vote for him for Dog Catcher. He should just take his pension and fly to Hollywood to join the other fictional heroes.
— IRA COHEN, ESQUIRE (@ElCid1075) July 1, 2019
Hopefully, Floridians will ensure Israel never wears a sheriff’s badge again. He is nothing less than a gutless embarrassment to brave and courageous law enforcement officers across the nation.
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