BARTOW, Fla. — As the one-year mark since the deadly Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School approaches, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd justified his stance on armed staff in schools at a Tuesday morning community forum in Bartow.
“It is repulsive to me to put armed law enforcement on campus,” said Judd, adding that despite his feelings the current state of school security necessitates more than one armed law enforcement officer on campus to keep students and staff safe.
Judd’s stance on arming staff has been controversial, but the MSD Public Safety Commission included this position as a recommendation in its final report.
“We will never be there in time,” said Judd, referring to law enforcement’s response to an active shooter on campus.
Judd said his stance is rooted in research. He said it only takes an active shooter 2-5 minutes to commit the crime.
“When seconds matter, minutes don’t count,” he said. “That’s why seconds count.”
The public safety report is now in the hands of the governor. Adding more armed staff, particularly if they are teachers, would require approval from the legislature.
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