Lee officials reach out to community with reassurances in wake of deadly school shooting in Uvalde
“Safe kids, safe schools,” through pro-active law enforcement and community involvement was the message relayed by Lee County officials Wednesday.
“I need your help,” said Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno at a press conference that also included county and school district officials. “National media outlets reported that the shooter at Robb Elementary School, just days before, posted photos of guns on his Instagram account. His TikTok bio was, kids be scared in real life.
“These are huge red flags,” Marceno said. “Never ignore a red flag. By hypervigilant and watch everything.”
The press conference to address school safety and security followed the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School dead.
“See it. Say it. Make the call. It works,” Marceno said, adding that the agency is well prepared and trained to return deadly force with deadly force in any on-campus intrusion.
Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman said he is the dad on the Board of County Commissioners with one child in sixth grade and another in kindergarten.
He said he feels the concerns felt by parents everywhere.
“This morning I dropped them off at school, just like thousands of parents did around Lee County, I felt a real lump in my throat this morning as I let them out of the car and said goodbye to them,” he said.
Hamman said the doors are locked at his kids’ school and he cannot enter without showing an ID first, which comforts him, as he knows someone cannot break in and go after the kids.
“Lee County commissioners are fully committed to supporting security and supporting our Sheriff’s Office in making sure our kids are safe,” Hamman said.
He said he cannot even imagine what the parents in Texas are going through.
“As Americans we just want to wrap our arms around them and hug them and try to bring some sort of healing and comfort to them,” Hamman said. “I can tell you one thing that comforted me as a parent this morning in Lee County, Florida was I got to wave at the School Resource Officer before I let my kids out of the car. We have a School Resource Officer that has a gun, who is right there on campus ready to respond if anything happens at my kids’ school.”
Lee County Vice Commissioner Ray Sandelli said he believes everyone was caught off guard by the magnitude of the tragedy in Texas, which is hard to comprehend and put into perspective.
“I have every confidence in the sheriff and his team. The sheriff always says there is no I in team and he believes that, as he lives it every day,” he said. “We are a team. We are a team as law enforcement. We have done everything at the county commissioner level to give them the tools they need to protect themselves and protect all of us. That is not just ideal chatter. It is in place.”
The Sheriff’s Office works in conjunction with the School District of Lee County’s security team.
Marceno said to have the ability to pick up the phone at 2 in the morning to call Dave Newlan, the security director, or the superintendent, or a county commissioner is huge. He said they communicate every day, all hours of the day when necessary.
But parents and the community have a role, too, officials added.
Sandelli said as good of a team as they are, they cannot be everywhere at every moment of the day, which is why he thinks it is important that parents are vigilant and be aware of their surroundings.
“Sit your children down, don’t wait one second, and tell them the sheriff isn’t playing games. I don’t play games with lives. Fake threat, real consequence. If your child, or anyone you know needs help, mental help, we will get them what they need and we will assist them to get them to where they need to be to get that help,” Marceno said. “This violence in this country has to stop. It has to stop. It takes all of us here, including you to help make that happen.”
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christopher Bernier thanked Marceno for the office’s steadfast commitment to protecting children. He said their continued collaboration is crucial to ensure students and employees are safe.
“There are no words to express the anger and heartbreak this tragedy has caused. My top priority is to ensure the safety and security of all students and (our) employees. Our parents rest assured we are doing everything in our power to continue to provide a safe learning environment that all of students and staff deserve,” Bernier said. “See something, say something. Be the individual who speaks out. We are talking about the loss of lives.”
Florida has a system for threat assessments and Bernier said Newlan, who previously served as chief of police in Cape Coral, is able to get law enforcement on the phone immediately.
“They are rapidly at the door, knocking on the door and talking to students and to the parent to determine the level of threat assessment,” he said.
Bernier said as more is released about the Texas shooting, they will use that information to further assess protocols in place and make any necessary improvements.
Marceno said the system is designed with one primary goal in mind, safety.
“From the moment your child leaves your front door and walks to one of those 6,000 bus stops in our county… gets on the bus, arrives at school… until that child gets home, they will be safe,” Marceno said. “My team’s top priority is the safety of your children and we will use whatever resources necessary to accomplish that goal.”
There is a law enforcement presence in every school with two officers in schools with a population greater than 1,600 students. The School Resource Officer program is recognized as No. 1 in the state of Florida, Marceno said adding an SRO is not someone retired on the job, as some are also SWAT team members.
All are well trained.
“We train seven times more than is required by Florida state statute. I am a big believer in how you train is how you perform,” he said. “The plans that are in place, the training and the ability on your radio to hit a button and we are coming from everywhere in seconds. I mean business when I say our children are going to be safe. You have no idea at every level there are so many layers of safety in place.”
Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s Office School Threat and Enforcement Team works to recognize threats and investigates them immediately. Marceno said they leave no stone unturned.
“The real time intelligence center uses state-of-the-art technology to ensure all required information is shared immediately with the boots on the street. Our patrol deputies and detectives will physically be on campuses to add an extra layer of safety and security to our protocols that are already in place. As always we will continue to have a strong presence at our schools,” Marceno said.
The real time intelligence center is funded by confiscated drug money, he added — “bad money, turned good.”
The Guardian program also was addressed during the press conference. Marceno said he supports it 150 percent, as an addition, not a replacement of the SRO program.
“We have already made a deal with the Southwest Public Safety Academy. They will do the training. We will maintain the records. The more good people on our team. The more eyes and ears. People that want to protect our children that are properly trained, the better. I want to enhance everything we have. I want to keep building and do everything imaginable, so that I can sleep at night.”
The program, which went into effect in Florida in 2019, allows school districts to train teachers to carry guns on campus.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com