A retired Broward school resource officer spoke out about the officer accused of not doing enough during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
Because Robert Martinez is already retired, he said he's weighing in on the subject because his former colleagues can’t, according to a report by 7 News.
Martinez retired in 2017, after 30 years at the Broward Sheriff’s Office and 18 years as a school resource officer.
“Think about it. We’re the laughingstock of the world right now,” he said.
Martinez said he is embarrassed by what’s come out about School Resource Officer Scot Peterson not going into the school’s freshman building to stop the shooter.
“I worked with him for 18 years as a school resource officer,” he said. “I think he’s a dedicated professional. It’s hard for me to believe that he stood by and did nothing. It’s really hard. I’m having a hard time believing that.”
Martinez said everyone should wait until the investigation is over before they pass judgment, but said this is a good time to expose other problems, including what he says is a major shortage of school resource officers in Broward County.
“I started in 1997, and we had approximately 60 SROs,” he said.
When asked how many SROs are currently working at Broward schools, Martinez said, “About 30-something. Half.”
When asked whether the county wants to to keep the arrest numbers down, Martinez said, “Correct”
When asked whether county officials are encouraging SROs not to make arrests, the retired officer again said, “Correct.”
Martinez said that removing a dangerous child like Cruz from a school can take up to a year because of all the red tape, and he’s upset that so many of the missed warning signs are now being blamed on the officers.
“They’re just throwing us out with the trash, and that’s just unbelievable,” he said. “You dedicate your life to helping kids, and this happens, and then we’re all cowards, lazy and so forth, and I think that’s an injustice.”