Sheriff Tony: Committed to Protecting Broward County Schools

by Guest Contributer August 1, 2019

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Sheriff Gregory Tony

A Message from Sheriff Gregory Tony:

Public safety has always been my highest priority. In the eight months since becoming your sheriff, the Broward Sheriff’s Office has worked hard to address one of the greatest concerns of Broward County – school safety.

BSO deputies have undergone intensive training in preparation for any public safety threat. We are working together with the school system to ensure our schools are a safe place to learn for every child in every school. We have made changes, but we will not rest on our accomplishments; we will continue to find better ways to protect our schools.

In response to the recommendations of the MSD Commission, we introduced new proactive initiatives throughout BSO. We forged federal partnership agreements with the FBI, FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security training divisions, focusing on active shooter and rapid response training. We have established a Threat Management Division and improved the way we gather intelligence and respond to potential threats. We now have cutting-edge technology to identify and investigate potentially dangerous threats to our community. An extension of that division is the Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC), which allows for real-time monitoring and analysis of important investigative information during a critical incident. We also have direct access to video surveillance systems that monitor nearly 10,000 cameras in all Broward County schools.

Recently, BSO partnered with SaferWatch, an innovative mobile app that allows users to report non-emergency incidents and crime tips in real-time directly to BSO. The app covers more than 440 public, charter and private schools in Broward County and gives students, parents, and teachers the ability to submit photos, videos, audio files or text messages anonymously. The information is immediately sent to BSO for appropriate action. It also provides our law enforcement districts with the ability to communicate important real-time information directly with residents. Whether it’s a crime prevention tip, safety alert, traffic advisory or other important information, SaferWatch alerts will be sent directly to your mobile device for immediate notification. I encourage all of our residents to download the free SaferWatch app and subscribe to the BSO district closest to them. Download the app at BrowardAlerts.com.

As the new school year approaches, I want to remind our community of some basic safety tips. When driving, approach all crosswalks in and around school areas with caution, and do not text on your cellphone – it’s the law. Observe the posted school zone speed limit. When walking or riding a bike to school, map out the safest route in advance, and always remember to use a crosswalk. For more back-to-school safety tips, please visit sheriff.org/communit y.

Although we have accomplished much these last eight months, we are just getting started. I will never lose sight of our mission: to keep our community – especially our schools – safe.

Service Equals Reward

Sheriff Gregory Tony

Certain Broward cities like Coconut Creek, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Pines, Sunrise, Plantation, Davie, Margate, Miramar, Lauderhill, Lighthouse Point, and Coral Springs maintain their own police departments, however, BSO does provide communications and dispatch services to the following cities: Central Broward, Cooper City, Dania Beach, Deerfield Beach, Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood Int’l Airport, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Lauderdale Lakes, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Parkland, Pembroke Park, West Park, Pompano Beach, Port Everglades, Tamarac, Weston and unincorporated West Broward.