WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The meeting takes place at the following address. Arrive early.
Lake County Administration Building,
315 West Main Street
Tavares, FL
Please email the board members prior to the meeting and let them know how you feel about this. Parents and citizens MUST have their voices heard!!!
Bill Mathias [email protected]
Kristi Burns [email protected]
Marc Dodd [email protected]
Sandy Gamble [email protected]
Stephanie Luke [email protected]
***It is shameful that the first proposal to keep our kids safe does not outline improving security but that we add guns to the school.***
Sentinel Program
DRAFT 1
According to a United States Department of Justice study, between the years 2000 and 2013 there
were 160 “active shooter” incidents in the US. “Active shooter” is defined as: “An individual
actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area with a
firearm.”
Key takeaways of the DOJ study include:
• There were 6.4 incidents per year on average between 2000 and 2006.
• There were 16.4 incidents per year on average between 2007 and 2013.
• 70% of the 160 incidents occurred in either a commerce/business or educational setting—
39 were in an education environment.
• 107 of these incidents ended BEFORE police arrived to engage the shooter. In 25 of
the 107 incidents, the shooters fled the scene before law enforcement arrived.
• 64 of the 160 incidents (where an accurate timeline could be established) were over in 5
minutes or less.
• Incidents at educational facilities account for some of the higher incident casualty counts,
to include Virginia Tech (32 killed, 17 wounded) and Sandy Hook Elementary School
(26 killed, 2 wounded).
Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Southeastern University partnered in 2016 to develop the
Sentinel program. The intent is to enhance safety and security on their campus. The framework
for that program could provide the building blocks to develop a program for Lake County
Schools in an effort to protect our kids.
Key components of the Sheriff’s Sentinel Program are:
• Faculty and staff are selected by the LCSB for the Program and screened by LCSO0 staff,
including criminal background checks, drug testing, and a psychological evaluation.
• Sheriff’s Sentinels will be appointed by the Sheriff as volunteer “Special Deputies” for
the limited purpose of providing security on Southeastern University’s campus during an
active assailant incident, defined as: “a situation in which an armed assailant is posing an
immediate deadly threat to people on the premises of Southeastern University.”
• Why Special Deputies? To take advantage of LCSO professional training and to provide
a legal mechanism for staff and faculty to carry a concealed firearm on campus. (Florida
State Statues, Chapter 30)
• The Special Deputy Sheriffs shall have no authority to act in any law enforcement
capacity outside of a deadly threat active assailant incident on campus and shall have no
authority in a law enforcement capacity off campus in any way.
• Special Deputy Sheriffs in the Sentinel Program are authorized to carry concealed,
approved firearms on campus. The firearms will be specifically purchased and issued for
the sole purpose of the Sentinel Program. Only LCSO approved concealed carry safety
holsters and firearms will be used in the program.
• Special Deputy Sheriffs in the Sentinel Program will be required to successfully complete
training with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Training Section prior to his or her
appointment, which will consist of 100 hours of comprehensive firearm safety and
proficiency training.
Sentinel Program
DRAFT 2
Special Deputy Sheriff Sentinel Program Training: (132 total hours)
• Firearms: 80 hour block of instruction. This firearms training is based on the CJSTC law
enforcement academy training model. A typical academy student will fire approximately
1,000 training rounds during the academy. The Sentinel Program Training will include
10-20% more rounds fired for each participant.
• Firearms: Precision Pistol / 16 hour block of instruction.
• Firearms Discretionary shooting: 4 hour block of instruction using state of the art
simulator exercises.
• Active Shooter/Assailant: 8 hour block of instruction.
• Defensive Tactics: 4 hour block of instruction.
• Legal / High Liability: 20 hour block of instruction.
• All training will be conducted by CJSTC-certified instructors.
• Ongoing and annual proficiency retraining will be conducted by the LCSO.
• Higher Standards: The 100 hour block of firearms instruction is 25% more instruction
than the equivalent block of CJSTC law enforcement firearms instruction deputies
receive (80 hours). Additionally, Sentinel Program participants will be required to pass
the firearms training at an 85% pass rate compared to the CJSTC standard of an 80% pass
rate. The 16 hour precision pistol course is additional training (not required for deputy
sheriffs). The 4 hour block discretionary shooting instruction is a separate training for the
Sentinel Program (incorporated into the 80 hour block of instruction). Sentinels will
receive 8 hours of active shooter/assailant training (deputies receive 6 hours training).
Participation in the Sentinel Program may be denied or terminated by the Lake County Sheriff’s
Office for any reason, including:
• Any arrest or filing of criminal charges against the participant by a law enforcement
agency;
• Having been served as the respondent of an injunction for protection;
• Having been involuntarily placed in a treatment facility for a mental health examination
under the Baker Act;
• A serious violation of LCSO General Orders;
• A serious violation of the Lake County School District Employee Handbook/Policy.
Additional Details
• The Director of Safety & Security will maintain documentation of the weapon and
equipment inspections, as well as the Sentinel participants’ training, certification,
inspection and qualification records.
• Sentinel participants will be required to be clearly visually identified (for the benefit of
responding law enforcement officers, faculty, staff, and students) in the case of any active
assailant incident.
• Sentinel Program awareness training will be conducted for all SEU staff members.
• Each Sentinel will be required to execute a volunteer agreement with the Lake County
Sheriff’s Office outlining duties and responsibilities.
• Costs of the program shall be determined by contract between Lake County School
District and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.