PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri had a unique position in the investigation into the deadly Parkland shooting, which happened two years ago.
- Sheriff Bob Gualtieri was the chairman of the Parkland Commission
- Learn more about the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Act
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He served as chairman of the Parkland Commission that looked at ways the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which left 17 people dead, could have been prevented.
"I think the biggest lesson we learned is where we were not as far as preparedness in the schools," he said.
Nikolas Cruz is accused of being the gunman of that shooting on February 14, 2018.
And so the commission came up with new legislative actions and protocols schools should put in place under the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Act.
It was passed in the months following the Parkland shooting and the act includes tougher penalties for students who threaten violence at schools.
It also helps to better address student mental health and requires at least one armed school resource officer on every public school campus.
However, there is still a long way to go. According to Gualtieri, some school campuses are so big he thinks they need more than the one or two mandated school resource officers.
"It's inadequate. It's better than nothing. It's better than where we were where in a lot of these schools because we had none. Because the unfortunate reality is that it is going to happen again. The only question is when and where," he said.