Teller County Sheriff comments on Florida deputy who stayed outside school

Running towards danger is never easy, but it’s something law enforcement, including school resource officers, is trained to do.

After Florida’s tragic shooting, the school resource officer Deputy Scot Peterson faced criticism because he didn’t enter the school as the shooter killed 17 people. He has since resigned.

In a time of chaos, like an active shooter situation, law enforcement’s actions aren’t always perfect. That’s something the Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell calls human. “Law enforcement officers are people just like anyone else so that fear is always there or else they wouldn’t be human,” said Sheriff Mikesell.

Widefield High School Resource Officer Matthew McGough says he keeps a healthy fear and says it makes him prepared for the worst. “I think if you’re not fearful than you might have some issues. So, I can come to work, and because I’m fearful, it makes me do my job a little bit better, makes me a little bit more aware of what’s going on. So, I hope to God I never have to act on it here at my school.”

An officer’s job whether they’re inside a school or patrolling a city’s streets doesn’t come with step-by-step instructions.

Sheriff Mikesell says, “We try to give them as much training as possible to deal with the situation but our officers and deputies are human. They’re going to make the decision on how they’re going to handle the situation.”