Brevard law enforcement increases patrols at schools as precaution after Texas school massacre
J.D. GallopA day after an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 elementary school students in Texas, patrol cars turned up at dozens of campuses across the Space Coast as a precaution, assuring safety to worried parents. There were no immediate threats, law enforcement officials said.
“Brevard Public Schools reached out to us and asked that in between our calls, if we had people in the area, to swing by some of our schools,” said Sgt. Ben Slover of the Melbourne Police Department.
“That’s what we’re doing,” Slover said.
The call to bolster security at the county’s 113 schools — including many that are the sites for active shooter training by law enforcement every year — was made as the nation reels from the latest mass shooting, this time targeting a Texas elementary school.
In Palm Bay, traffic officers were pulled from regular assignments to assist at campuses citywide. The patrols will continue through Thursday, the last day of school for the summer.
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Texas police said an 18-year-old gunman, who legally purchased two AR-styled rifles on his birthday, killed 19 children and two teachers housed in a single classroom. The shooter, who had barricaded himself, was killed a short time later as police surrounded the area. Images of the students began filtering out over newscasts and social media overnight.
Brevard Public Schools, which oversees security at its campuses used by the county’s 73,000 students, was in contact with police agencies across Brevard on Wednesday. Many campuses already have armed officers on site.
“As a school district, our hearts are heavy for the students, staff and families in Texas. It’s definitely weighing on everybody. So our district security ordered extra patrols at all our schools. There are no threats, no evidence of increased danger,” said Russel Bruhn, the chief strategic communications officer for the district.
He said counselors were available to students and others, if needed.
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Brevard’s largest law enforcement agency, issued a Facebook post Wednesday stating that agents were communicating with the school district to share any information about the Texas incident.
“Our command team is working to provide as much information to our school security personnel as possible about yesterday’s incident and we have also asked our patrol units throughout the county to spend as much time as possible at our school campuses when not responding to calls for service,” said Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey in the social media post.
“Our goal is to reassure our students, parents, and school faculty through an increased presence, that our campuses are safe and sound and that we are watching to keep harm away,” the sheriff said, also sending thoughts and prayers to the fallen students and staff at Robb Elementary School near the southern Texas border.
Ivey, who was in Arizona last week for a photo opportunity with three other sheriffs at the border wall with Mexico, will also be going to Houston this week to attend the National Rifle Association’s convention.
The Sheriff's Office did not respond to FLORIDA TODAY's request for comment.
He will be at the Kel-Tec booth for a celebrity appearance on Saturday, according to the NRA’s convention website. It was not immediately known if Ivey would be speaking.
J.D. Gallop is a Criminal Justice/Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.