Latest news with #FortifyFlorida
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Week-long active threat training held with Hillsborough County deputies
The Brief HCSO held a week-long active threat training at schools, "designed to ensure our deputies are fully prepared to protect students and staff as they return to school." The sheriff's office gave an inside look at what the sheriff called, "Some of the most intense mentally and physically demanding training that any member of the sheriff's office goes through." Deputies conducted training exercises in schools, classrooms and on school buses, among other locations. SEFFNER, Fla. - Video released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shows deputies armed with mock weapons searching different areas of the schools, even firing the fake guns. It was part of a week-long active threat training at schools. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said training scenarios include clearing rooms, evacuations, lockdown procedures and emergency first aid. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube "Their adrenaline is going in hostage rescue, some shooting, different shooting scenarios as the students are running by you, and you're trying to process who's a good guy, who's a bad guy," Chronister explained. Dig deeper During a news conference at Jennings Middle School Seffner, the sheriff said deputies are also incorporating improved tactics. HCSO will now have real-time access to cameras in schools so they can see live video of potential threats as they happen. The department is also making sure every deputy is prepared, even some who weren't planning to participate in the training. READ: Hillsborough mom names daughter after HCA Florida Brandon nurse who helped during high-risk pregnancy "They were told to come to the school here," Chronister explained. "The moment they got here, they took their guns and their weapons off of them and gave them one of the less lethal weapons that shoots a projectile and said, 'here, you're going to help the deputy. Go run.'" During the annual training, the agency also practices adjusting to new school security laws. Last year, lawmakers required all campus access points, including gates and doors, to remain locked during school hours. What we know This year, however, a new law gave schools more flexibility to determine which access points are locked and when. Local perspective Chronister said his School Threat Assessment and Response Team, or STAR Squad, continues to play a major role in their preparation and response. MORE: Superintendent faces state board over Hillsborough book removals amid backlash at home The team assesses reports of possible threats that come in through the state's Fortify Florida program. Last year, the STAR squad received more than 1,300 complaints, marking an increase of almost 300, compared to the previous year. The Source The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Yahoo
INVESTIGATES: Number of weapons found in Northeast Florida schools on the rise
Action News Jax is digging into your children's schools and the threats they face. Data shows a dramatic increase in the number of weapons on campus, forcing school districts to step up their response to keep kids safe. As Investigator Emily Turner reports, the statistics are scary, but there's more to them than meets the eye. One grandmother of a Ribault High School student said, 'I worry about everybody. I don't care who it is. I worry about everybody because how easy kids have access to weapons and stuff.' She had to face that fear last May, when a student brought a gun to school. 'It scared me,' she said because her granddaughter was in the 10th grade there. ROCKY ROADS: How you can make damage claims from cracked windshields on state roads That Ribault gun was one of dozens of recovered weapons on Duval County Public Schools campuses last year, ten of them guns, a tally that has climbed over the years. Action News Jax dug into the data to see how many weapons are found in Northeast Florida schools. Based on state statute and reporting data, weapons aren't just guns, they also include knives, pepper spray, or any 'instrument that can inflict serious harm on another person.' In the 2023-24 school year, there were 89 weapons found on DCPS grounds, and climbing numbers in St. Johns, Clay, and Putnam schools. Compare that to a decade before and the numbers have more than doubled in St Johns and Clay and were four times higher in Duval. Read: DeSantis' JTA board appointments were essentially a firing of the current chair, sources say But while the jump is concerning, DCPS Police Chief Jackson Short said it can also be misleading. 'We would explain the increase,' he said, 'as we are getting better at finding the weapons and holding students accountable. You don't know how many firearms or weapons you had in the schools in years past when the technology was not as good.' Much of that is the result of legislation passed in the wake of the Parkland shooting: officers at all campuses, the Fortify Florida app for reporting school threats and more access to grants for hardening schools and crime prevention. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] In addition, DCPS has a weapon detection canine, weapons detectors at the entrances of every high school and plans to expand that further. 'We're starting to look at the middle schools now,' Short said about weapons detectors. 'We will implement that same technology into our middle schools and eventually down into our elementary schools, so that all of our schools are covered with the weapons detections.' Because of those systems, Short said only one of the ten guns found on DCPS campuses last year actually made it into the school. Most were found in parking lots or at after-school events. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] While its system isn't foolproof, Short said it's one they're committed to improving and keeping students safe. 'It's a daily challenge,' he said. 'It's never an end goal. It's something that we have to wake up every morning and do again.' Action News Jax reached out to other local districts about their safety measures. St. Johns County School District, Nassau County School District, and Clay County District Schools did not respond. Putnam County School District's spokesperson said it has just added a gunpowder-sniffing canine to its team Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
CBS News
14-02-2025
- CBS News
7 years since Parkland school shooting marked by day of love and service
PARKLAND - Friday marks seven years since the Parkland massacre. Across Broward County schools, it is a day of service and remembrance for the 14 students and three staff members who were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, Valentine's Day, in 2018. Students and staff across the district will participate in a variety of volunteer and service projects in honor of those lives. At 10:17 a.m., district schools and facilities will pause for a moment of reflection in memory of those who died. "We will forever hold in our hearts those who died and those who were injured seven years ago," Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn said in statement. "This day serves as a powerful reminder of the strength, resilience and compassion that binds our community and a call to action for all of us to build a future rooted in love, kindness and understanding." Parkland massacre led to new safety measures Weeks after the Parkland mass shooting, families got to work to make schools safer to prevent another tragedy from happening. The minimum age to purchase a gun was raised from 18 to 21, a red flag law was passed, and schools across the state moved to have a single entry, making it harder for outsiders to go into a building. Another big change is the use of threat reporting apps. In Broward they use Safer Watch and statewide is Fortify Florida. The reporting apps allow students who see concerning behavior to report it to law enforcement and school officials so that they can work together to investigate any concerns. Many Parkland families are still working to do more. They say the will will continue to fight for what is needed to prevent another tragedy.
