Report Of Law Enforcement Officer Initiating Involuntary Examination: Fill & Download for Free

The number of agencies that dropped the ball in this matter is mind-boggling. The security officer is simply the latest in a long line. We don’t know why he didn’t go in but fear or inadequate training seems a likely reason.The 6-foot-5-inch native of Illinois started with the agency in July 1985, after studying at Miami-Dade Community College and Florida International University, according to records released Thursday by the sheriff’s office.Peterson had been a school resource officer at Stoneman Douglas since 2009. He was considered a trusted officer who “values his position and takes pride in protecting the students, faculty and staff at his school,” a 2017 performance review said.His annual salary in 2016 was $75,673.72, according to sheriff’s office records, but he made $101,013 that year with overtime and other compensation. Peterson has been the subject of two internal investigations, neither of which resulted in significant discipline.Soon after the shooting took place, Israel and Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie were forced to answer questions about where Peterson was during the shooting and why he did not confront Cruz.“I’m in shock and I’m outraged to no end that he could have made a difference in all this,” Runcie said Thursday. “It’s really disturbing that we had a law enforcement individual there specifically for this reason, and he did not engage. He did not do his job. It’s one of the most unbelievable things I’ve ever heard.”Felicia Burgin, a ninth-grade English teacher, was locked in her classroom with students on the second floor of the building, as they heard shots from the floor above.She said the criticism of Peterson is unfair. Peterson wouldn’t have stood a chance against the gunman in hallways that were filled with students at the time, she said.“There is no one that is going to tell you a negative thing about Deputy Peterson," she said. “He was an Eagle and he was committed to our school. I don’t know what he could have done other than literally died.”The two deputies, Edward Eason and Guntis Treijs, were put on a restricted assignment Thursday. Stoneman Douglas cop resigns; sheriff says he should have 'killed the killer'The sheriff’s deputy who failed to engage the shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School “believed he did a good job” because he called in the location of the massacre and gave a description of the shooter, a top union official said Thursday.School resource officer Scot Peterson, who resigned in disgrace from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, was “distraught” about the shooting that killed 17 people — but believed he did his duty, according to the president of the Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputies Association.“He believed he did a good job calling in the location, setting up the perimeter and calling in the description (of Cruz),” said the union official, Jim Bell.During a press conference, Peterson was lambasted by his sheriff, Scott Israel for not engaging shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz last week as he slaughtered students and staff at Douglas High School in Parkland.The union head said he didn’t want to second-guess Peterson — but strongly suggested that failing to take on Cruz was a mistake.“We have to act, even if that means risking our lives to save many many more lives. I would demand that from our union members,” said Bell, still a working deputy.“You’re listening to an execution every time you hear the rifle shot.”Broward County sheriff Israel suspended Peterson without pay before the 33-year vet abruptly retired. Deputy who didn’t stop Florida shooting thinks he ‘did a good job’Peterson – named school resource officer of the year for Parkland in 2014 – was in another building, dealing with a student issue when the shots sounded. Armed with his sidearm, Peterson ran to the west side of Building 12 and set up in a defensive position, then did nothing for four minutes until the gunfire stopped, the sheriff said.On Thursday, Israel said surveillance footage captured the officer’s inaction. Asked what Peterson should have done, Israel said: “Went in. Addressed the killer. Killed the killer.”Israel added: “I am devastated. Sick to my stomach. He never went in.”Since the Columbine school shooting that left 12 dead in 1999, cops have been trained not to wait for heavily armed SWAT officers but to enter buildings to find and kill the threat.“When we train police, the first priority it to stop the killing,” said Pete Blair, the executive director of the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University.Said former Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti: “These events are over in three to five minutes. You don’t have the luxury to wait. You might not have the best equipment, you might have small numbers, but you’re armed. Those kids are not armed. You have to go in and engage the shooter. Our job is to protect and serve.”Early signs Cruz had problems.· The first report came in November 2008, when Cruz – then 9 years old – threw a rock at another boy outside their Parkland home. In the following years, Cruz's mother called police to report various disturbances: her sons were fighting, Cruz hit her with a plastic vacuum-cleaner hose, the boys left the home through a bedroom window.· On another occasion, the 14-year-old Cruz punched a wall because she took away his X-box. An employee of Henderson Behavioral Health came and said the boy did not meet criteria for involuntary psychological evaluation under the state’s Baker Act.· In November 2014, deputies were called to a neighbor's home after he reportedly shot a neighbor's chicken with a pellet gun - his mother agreed to lock away the gun and the fowl's owner declined to press charges.· In February 2016, someone reported that Cruz “planned to shoot up the school.” A deputy was shown an Instagram photo of a “juvenile” with guns. Investigators say they don’t know which school was the possible target.· Seven months later, in September 2016, a Douglas school counselor reported to the school resource officer that Cruz might have ingested gasoline and attempted suicide by “cutting himself.” He also said he wanted to buy a gun and had a Nazi symbol on his book bag. The school initiated a “threat assessment” on Cruz, then 18, suggesting he suffered from depression. The Florida Department of Children and Families also investigated Cruz and determined he was not a threat to himself or others. At the time, he was undergoing therapy with Henderson Behavioral Health.· On Nov. 30, an unidentified called from Massachussets called to say Cruz was collecting guns and knives. The caller believed "Cruz will kill himself one day and believe he could be a school shooter in the making." BSO, however, never even wrote a report on the tip. Internal affairs detectives are now trying to figure out what happened. Deputies Edward Eason and Guntis Treijs are on restricted duty while detectives examine their handling of the two potential school shooter tips. After the shooting, the tipster was re-interviewed and said BSO told him to report Cruz to the Palm Beach Sheriff's, as the teen was then living in the neighboring county.· The family that took in Cruz after the death of his mother called the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office to report a fight between him and their son, 22. One member of the family told police that Cruz had threatened to “get his gun and come back” and that he had “put the gun to others’ heads in the past.”TIMELINE▪ Feb. 5, 2016: A Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy is told by an anonymous caller that Nikolas Cruz, then 17, had threatened on Instagram to shoot up his school and posted a photo of himself with guns. The information is forwarded to BSO Deputy Scot Peterson, a school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.▪ Sept. 23, 2016: A “peer counselor” reports to to Peterson that Cruz had possibly ingested gasoline in a suicide attempt, was cutting himself and wanted to buy a gun. A mental health counselor advises against involuntary committing Cruz. The high school says it will conduct a threat assessment.▪ Sept. 28, 2016: An investigator for the Florida Department of Children and Families rules Cruz is stable, despite “fresh cuts” on his arms. His mother, Lynda Cruz, says in the past he wrote a racial slur against African Americans on his book bag and had recently talked of buying firearms.▪ Sept. 24, 2017: A YouTube user named “nikolas cruz” posts a comment stating he wants to become a “professional school shooter.” The comment is reported to the FBI in Mississippi, which fails to make the connection to Cruz in South Florida.▪ Nov. 1, 2017: Katherine Blaine, Lynda Cruz’s cousin, calls BSO to report that Nikolas Cruz had weapons and asks that police recover them. A “close family friend” agrees to take the firearms, according to BSO.▪ Nov. 29, 2017: The Palm Beach County family that took in Cruz after the death of his mother calls the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office to report a fight between him and their son, 22. A member of the family says that Cruz had threatened to “get his gun and come back” and that he has “put the gun to others’ heads in the past.” The family does not want him arrested once he calms down.▪ Nov. 30, 2017: A caller from Massachusetts calls BSO to report that Cruz is collecting guns and knives and could be a “school shooter in the making.” A BSO deputy advises the caller to contact the Palm Beach sheriff.▪ Jan. 5, 2018: A caller to the FBI’s tip line reports that Cruz has “a desire to kill people” and could potentially conduct a school shooting. The information is never passed on to the FBI’s office in Miami.▪ Feb. 14, 2018: Nikolas Cruz attacks Stoneman Douglas High. Peterson, the school’s resource officer, draws his gun outside the building where Cruz is shooting students and staff. He does not enter. Parkland school cop ‘never went in’ during the shooting. There were other failures, too.Stoneman Douglas cop resigns; sheriff says he should have 'killed the killer'As Gunman Rampaged Through Florida School, Armed Deputy ‘Never Went In’

The loss of any peace officer is a tragedy. My condolences to the family of Officer Brain Sicknick.That said, there was a lot of speculation and deliberate misstatements made by too many people for political and for sensational reasons. The following is a basic brief covering what we know.[Capital] Law enforcement officials initially said Mr. Sicknick was struck with a fire extinguisher, but weeks later, police sources and investigators were at odds over whether he was hit. Medical experts have said he did not die of blunt force trauma, according to one law enforcement official.“He returned to his division office and collapsed,” the Capitol Police said in the statement. “He was taken to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.” Capitol Police Officer Dies From Injuries in Pro-Trump RampageA senior law enforcement official tells Fox News that investigators are "not ruling chemical irritants out" as a potential factor in the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick during the Jan. 6 riot.[I.E. Delayed reaction to pepper spray, tear gas (CS) and mace used by law enforcement and possibly by a “peaceful protestor.” Or a combination of such sprays used.]Law enforcement sources confirmed to Fox News that an autopsy has been performed on Sicknick, but that a cause of death and other information from the medical examination have not been revealed. Fox News was told immediately after Sicknick’s death that authorities would treat the probe as a homicide investigation. Capitol Police Officer Sicknick's death: Officials 'not ruling chemical irritants out' as probe remains openCapitol police officer Brian Sicknick’s death may have been caused by a fatal reaction to bear spray, federal investigators believe.[FYI - Bear Spray often has a higher concentration of its active ingredient Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) and it is under greater pressure to deliver it farther that most other uses. The active ingredient OC can be of six basic types of peppers and the concentration varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. ]Officer Sicknick died the day after pro-Trump rioters attacked the US Capitol as lawmakers tried to certify Joe Biden’s election win.One theory being investigated by authorities is that he may have been hit with bear mace or another chemical irritant sprayed by the rioters during the mayhem and suffered the reaction, according to CNN. Officer Brian Sicknick’s death could have been caused by bear spray, investigators believePepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, or capsicum spray is a lachrymatory agent (a compound that irritates the eyes to cause a burning sensation, pain, and temporary blindness) used in policing, riot control, crowd control, and self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears.[1][2] Its inflammatory effects cause the eyes to close, temporarily taking away vision. This temporary blindness allows officers to more easily restrain subjects and permits people in danger to use pepper spray in self-defense for an opportunity to escape. It also causes temporary discomfort and burning of the lungs which causes shortness of breath. …Pepper spray is an inflammatory agent. It inflames the mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, throat and lungs.[10] It causes immediate closing of the eyes, difficulty breathing, runny nose, and coughing.[11] The duration of its effects depends on the strength of the spray; the average full effect lasts from 20 to 90 minutes, but eye irritation and redness can last for up to 24 hours.[12] …For those taking drugs, or those subjected to restraining techniques that restrict the breathing passages, there is a risk of death. In 1995, the Los Angeles Times reported at least 61 deaths associated with police use of pepper spray since 1990 in the USA.[15] The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) documented 27 people in police custody who died after exposure to pepper spray in California since 1993 [16][17] However, the ACLU report counts all deaths occurring within hours of exposure to pepper spray regardless of prior interaction, taser use, or if drugs are involved. In all 27 cases listed by the ACLU, the coroners' report listed other factors as the primary cause of death; in few cases the use of pepper spray may have been a contributing factor. …For individuals not previously exposed to OC effects, the general feelings after being sprayed can be best likened to being "set alight." The initial reaction, should the spray be directed at the face, is the involuntary closing of the eyes, an instant sensation of the restriction of the airways and the general feeling of sudden and intense, searing pain about the face, nose, and throat. This is due to irritation of mucous membranes. Many people experience fear and are disoriented due to sudden restriction of vision even though it is temporary. There is an associated shortness of breath, although studies performed with asthmatics have not produced any asthma attacks in those individuals, and monitoring is still needed for the individuals after exposure.[26] Police are trained to repeatedly instruct targets to breathe normally if they complain of difficulty, as the shock of the exposure can generate considerable panic as opposed to actual physical symptoms.Pepper spray - WikipediaIn summary, I have been sprayed more than a dozen times directly by O.C. spray and indirectly dozens of times. This includes Bear Spray, Mace and tear gas (aka CS gas). I also have been hit by three fire extinguisher contents (2 dry powder and one CO2) and on one occasion I received 14 stiches to my head from being physically hit after being temporarily blinded by the dry powder to my face. I mention this only to indicate I have some familiarity with such things.On one occasion a person in custody had a delayed reaction to OC Pepper Spray. This person had a respirational collapse that caused his lungs to fill with fluid as in an allergic reaction. Only immediate intubation and a fluid drain allowed this person to survive and even then it was touch and go. I suspect this may have happened to Officer Brain Sicknick. But we will not know until the death certificate is made public. As of 13 Feb 2021 it has not been released.I have been in riot situations within institutions and in the field. AND I have been injured several times on the job. Officers are trained and exercise great self discipline by being members of a team when confronted by such riotous situations.Final comment: I served twenty five years as a peace officer in California before retiring medically. I have great respect and honor for those who are serving today.

OK, this is one of my pet peeves about US LEO’s having ubiquitous access to deadly force weapons. They instinctively assume—and the law in most states allows—that any possibly, vaguely threatening movement by a person within reach of them may be an attack to which they are justified in preemptively responding with deadly force. I’m sure the professor will disagree with me, but that is the truth on the ground in most jurisdictions. What LEO’s won’t admit is that their possession of their sidearm actually makes them more paranoid, if only because having it causes them to expose themselves to perceived danger needlessly.Here’s an example. I’m a big, burly confident guy. In fact, when I have my hair short people often take me for an off-duty cop. (Which causes no end of problems when you’re collecting signatures for a marijuana legalization initiative—”You’re heat, man! Don’t lie to me”.) OK, but back in the day used to rock this wild Mohawk look: long, long ponytail with the sides of my head shaved. Wearing psycho-killer sunglasses I got used to seeing clerks feel under the counter for their silent alarm button when I came into a convenience store.So one time on traveling and I pull off into a small town to crash for the night. I know it well: it’s a major trucking center on an interstate so, yes, they get more than their share of shady transients passing through. Nice town, though. After checking in I go out to get a snack and stretch my legs. So I’m just walking down the street. It’s late and most of the businesses are closed, but all I am doing is walking down the street. And I notice a couple of cruisers passing by with the officers eyeing me closely.What the hell? Being suspicious and curious, I put on my psycho-killer shades to see what happens. Sure enough, I go another half a block and a cop pulls up next to me. But get this, she exits her unit with her hand on her weapon. Not just to steady her holster while she gets out, no, she advances up to me with her hand on the weapon, looking at me with obvious wariness.Now let’s stop right here in the story and examine the situation legally. Am I giving any indication that I am committing, have just committed or am about to commit a crime? What crime, “Sauntering with Intent”? No, so thus no probable cause to even look at me twice, let alone confront me as an LEO ready to employ deadly force. Sure, it’s almost midnight on a deserted street and I look like a drifter from a slasher flick, but this is America and I have a right to transit public space dressed as I please at any hour. The real point is that she’s ready to shoot me. If I go to whip off my sunglasses—a perfectly natural act under the circumstances—there’s a sizable chance she shoots me dead, just for making a sudden movement in what she perceives to be a threatening situation. If I, a civilian, did that I’d be convicted for a good stretch in the pen. But because of her badge, the officer probably won’t be charged at all, and if she is she’ll probably walk on the resulting involuntary manslaughter charge.(Let me jump ahead a bit to answer any LEO’s reading this who are champing at the bit with justifications. No, I had nothing in my hands or weapon-like about my person. No, she was not responding to any sort of violent crime call or report of a suspicious prowler. I asked. She pulled over just because I was walking slowly down the street and looked weird. Apparently she found my lack of pace suspicious.)Of course, the the episode ends there harmlessly, with me offering ID and my cultured voice assuring her that I’m not the second coming of Manson. But that was because I was careful to not make any threatening moves and was pointedly cooperative, none of which I was obliged to do.Why did she feel at threat? When she pulled up, I was in no way a threat to her or the immediate populace. The street was deserted and I obviously had no means of harming her in her unit. So why did she set herself in a stance ready to employ deadly force? Because she walked up to me, thus putting her weapon in my reach. I was a head taller than her, obviously strong and appeared menacing (although not really, I just was wearing sunglasses at night and had a weird haircut). Her casus belli for readying to employ deadly force was solely that she was putting her weapon within my reach.She created the dangerous situation by coming up to me. Out of necessity? No, she could have simply rolled the window down and asked me the same question (“What are you doing around here so late?”) Or called for backup. Or just observed me from a distance. After all, I’m just walking down the street.Oh sure, this wasn’t a gratuitous act of harassment. She was just following her training and/or departmental procedure. But that’s going to be of no succor to my wife (who was at the time an attorney in the business of suing government agencies for misuse of force). The officer is going to be out of a job (and probably out of law enforcement permanently) and her PD’s municipality will be stuck for millions of dollars in damages just because she was trained to, in effect, unnecessarily endanger herself.See, LEO’s didn’t used to be so ready to employ deadly force. Now I grant you, back in Mayberry people didn’t walk around looking like Travis Bickle, but if a beatnik wandered into the village Barney Fife didn’t pump him full of lead for “lookin’ kinda funny” either. LEO’s having constant possession of a deadly force weapon causes a lot of problems, and as non-US LEO experience shows us, is not necessary to do the job.