25 Reasons Florida Governor Gave For Suspending Broward Sheriff

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis didn't go into the specifics of why he suspended Broward Sheriff Scott Israel when he spoke publicly with the families of Parkland victims But the governor's executive order spells out 25 reasons.

"The neglect of duty and the incompetence that was connected to the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has been well documented," DeSantis said in making the announcement Friday night. "I have no interest in dancing on Scott Israel's political grave." See also Broward Sheriff Suspended Over Parkland Amid Cheers

The Republican governor insisted that the families of Parkland's 17 students and faculty members killed in the tragedy deserve accountability from their elected officials.

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"I think just as important — or more important — they want the problems fixed going forward," DeSantis explained. "In their own ways, these Parkland families have all worked hard so that others won't have to experience the horrors of losing a child."

Here's 25 reasons DeSantis spelled out in his executive order as to why the county's top cop had to go:

1. Sheriffs appoint deputies to act under them with the same power as the sheriff appointing them and for the "neglect and default of whom in the execution of their office " the sheriff is responsible, according to the order.
2. The top lawman is held responsible for appointing his command staff who are "responsible for the training, response and security within the county, including airports, seaports and schools within his jurisdiction. "Sheriffs are responsible for the "recruitment, hiring and promotion" of their command staff and deputies.
3. Prior to the Valentine's Day massacre in Parkland, the Israel's agency had a total of "21 interactions with the accused shooter, including two incidents that an internal affairs investigation later found warranted additional follow-up."
4. The first incident in which the sheriff's office had an interaction with the accused shooter took place in February 2016, two years before the tragedy. That's when the accused shooter posted a picture of a gun with a threat "similar to 'I am going to get this gun when I turn 18 and shoot up the school.'"
5. Broward County Deputy Eason did not file an incident report, but instead noted in a computer: "No threats noted and info forwarded to (SRO) Peterson at school."
6. The second interaction occurred in November 2017, only three months before the tragedy, when the sheriff's office received a call that the accused killer had "weapons and wanted to join the military to kill people" and that he "might be a Columbine in the making" and posed a threat to kill himself.
7. Broward Deputy Treijs didn't file an incident report on the second contact but instead noted in a computer that the future accused shooter was "autistic, his location was unknown and directed the caller to contact another police department."
8. Then Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson, the School Resource Officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, "exercised the discretion of Sheriff Israel consciously deciding not to engage the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooter, while the shooter was actively killing and attempting to kill the students and teachers of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School."
9. In addition to Peterson, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission Report found that there were six other Broward deputies who were "in close proximity" to Marjory Stoneman Douglas but "did not immediately move towards the gunshots to confront the shooter."
10. Sheriff Israel was responsible for "developing, implementing and training his deputies on policy related to active shooters."
11. Sheriff Israel was responsible for language in the Broward Active Shooter Policy that previously said deputies "may enter the area or structure to engage an active shooter and preserve life."
12. Israel acknowledged to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission on Jan. 2 that the Active Shooter Policy was "inconsistent with current and standard law enforcement practices."
13. "Even if the duty to engage an active shooter was discretionary," according to the governor's executive order, "the responsibility for the exercise of that discretion falls upon the elected sheriff."
14. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission Report "further revealed a failure on the part of Sheriff Israel and his deputies to timely establish an incident command center."
15. It was the sheriff's duty to provide "adequate, up-to-date, frequent and realistic training to handle high-risk, high-stress situations, including mass casualty incidents."
16. Sheriff Israel's deputies interviewed by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission couldn't remember the last time they attended active shooter training or what type of training they received."
17. Five people were killed on Jan. 6, 2017 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and dozens more were injured. During that shooting, the sheriff's office "failed to contain and maintain security resulting in a breach of airport security."
18. The internal investigation into the airport shooting "uncovered a lack of leadership by Sheriff Israel, including a failure by Sheriff Israel to establish proper containment procedures for the crime scene, a failure by Sheriff Israel to establish a centralized command and response, a failure by Sheriff Israel to provide his deputies adequate, thorough and realistic training and a failure by Sheriff Israel to establish an appropriate response to a mass casualty incident."
19. The airport investigation also "revealed that Sheriff Israel's neglect of duty and incompetence led to 'most of the law enforcement personnel who responded [lacking] clear instructions, objectives and roles."
20. Sheriff Israel "egregiously failed" in his duties and "failed to maintain a culture of vigilance and thoroughness amongst his deputies in protecting the peace in Broward County, Florida."
21. The sheriff "demonstrated during multiple incidents that he has not provided for the proper training of his deputies."
22. Two separate reports into mass casualty shootings found that Sheriff Israel "has not and does not provide frequent training for his deputies resulting in the deaths of 22 individuals and a response that is inadequate for the future safety of Broward County residents."
23. The two reports "found that Sheriff Israel has not implemented proper protocols to provide guaranteed access to emergency services, nor proper protocols to have timely, unified command centers setup to control a crime scene, leading to confusion, a lack of recognized chain-of-command, and ultimately a failure to contain the dangerous situation."
24. Sheriff Israel "contravened his oath of office to "faithfully perform the duties" of sheriff of Broward County.
25. Due to his "demonstrated neglect of duty and incompetence, Sheriff Israel can no longer demonstrate the qualifications necessary to meet his duties in office."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Broward Sheriff Scott Israel not only for his handling of Parkland but also for his handling of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shootings in 2017. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.)