By Sarah Calams
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — In the wake of the Robb Elementary mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, one Florida sheriff is ensuring his school district is safe by outfitting his deputies with rifles and tactical uniforms.
In a Facebook video, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said the addition of rifles and tactical uniforms is one way to deter potential school shooters, as well as better equip his deputies to respond to and neutralize an incident.
“Let me be very clear: You are not coming into my schools and killing our children,” Ivey said. “I firmly believe that if you do not meet violence with violence, then you will be violently killed.”
In the past, Ivey said his deputies would have to return to their patrol cars to get heavier firepower. Now, he says this “tactical preparedness gives [deputies] the advantage and ability to instantly address the threat with the level of force necessary to eliminate the shooter and save the lives of innocent teachers and children.”
Toward the end of the video, Ivey said the changes reflect one goal: to make Brevard County schools “hard targets.”
https://www.facebook.com/SheriffWayneIvey/videos/418507490102113