As authorities continue to investigate the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the school's resource officer has been suspended for his role during the crisis. Scot Peterson, the Florida police officer assigned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, reportedly waited outside and took a defensive position while Nikolas Cruz roamed the school murdering 17 people.

"He never went in," Sheriff Scott Israel said. When asked what he thought the officer should have done the Sherriff said, “Went in. Addressed the killer. Killed the killer.” It was Peterson's job to protect the children of that school, and when they needed him most, he was not there.

Meeting the requirements for retirement, Peterson has opted to retire when he was informed of his suspension.

Split opinions on Peterson

While Sheriff Scott Israel was very blunt with his opinion on Peterson's lack of action, not everyone shares the same feelings. Teachers at the school describe Peterson as someone who goes above and beyond in his job and they question what difference he could have made.

“I don’t know what he could have done other than literally died,” English teacher Felicia Burgin commented. Many of the teachers believe the same and are calling it unfair to cast blame on Peterson for this tragic event.

Peterson was even voted "School Resource Officer of the Year," which should give you a bit of an idea how he was viewed in the school community.

Calls for veterans

This should reignite recent calls for placing veterans in schools as guards. Resource officers have been implemented in many schools throughout the country, but this incident highlights their limitations.

Peterson, like many of these resource officers, is armed only with a pistol. Few officers ever need to discharge their service weapon in the line of duty, especially in a school setting.

Unfortunately, Peterson was woefully outgunned by Cruz' AR-15. It is very likely that he would not have been able to stop Cruz's rampage.

Increasing the protective firepower in schools is a risky proposition. Those calling to arm teachers fail to recognize that these are educators and should not be required to undergo firearm training just to teach children.

It's maddening!

A seemingly simple solution would be to hire former military members as armed guards. These are people who have undergone extensive firearm training, and often have had extensive experience in high-intensity situations. They are literally the perfect choice for people that could handle the responsibility of carrying and using weapons, while also being reliable enough to act when the time comes.

It could also put a serious dent in the unemployment and homelessness crisis that many veterans face when returning home. At this point, one has to wonder why the government wouldn't be on board with a plan like this.
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