Scot Peterson, the former Broward County sheriff deputy and Stoneman Douglas High School resource officer who hid outside as a gunman murdered 17 people, is now collecting a massive taxpayer-funded pension: $8,702 per month!
Peterson was “thrown under the bus” by disgraced Sheriff Scott Israel, who noted that the deputy could have “went in. Addressed the killer. Killed the killer.”
And President Trump opined, “He’s trained his whole life. But when it came time to get in there and do something, he didn’t have the courage, or something happened. But he certainly did a poor job — there’s no question about that.”
As soon as he was told he would be suspended without pay as an investigation took place, he immediately retired after 32 years in law enforcement. The pension payments started in April.
As The Sun-Sentinel reports, Peterson is used to earning a large income:
The 55-year-old Peterson, a Broward deputy for 32 years, was paid $101,879.03 last year — $75,673.72 in base salary plus overtime and other compensation, according to sheriff’s office records. Until the shooting, he was considered a trusted school resource officer at Stoneman Douglas, according to annual reviews of his performance.
He was eligible to retire from the agency in July 2010 when he had 25 years of service, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman said Wednesday.
And that total doesn’t include extensive health benefits:
Health benefits are not included in the monthly amount, according to a Department of Management Services spokeswoman. That information would have to be provided by his former employer, she said.
Families of victims from that deadly shooting have spoken out about the Coward from Broward:
This infuriates me in ways people cannot comprehend. My daughter would still be alive if this person did his job.https://t.co/MVYtMKjtGh
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) May 16, 2018
I am not doing this to get famous, I am doing this so no family ever again has to feel the way my family feels. There are no excuses! We must have proper security in every school in America! I will not stop until that is accomplished. We must #FixIt! #MeadowsMovement pic.twitter.com/Hz6v9S9vrI
— Andrew Pollack (@AndrewPollackFL) April 11, 2018
The coward of broward, Scot Peterson is getting over $8k a month pension! He hid while my daughter and 16 others were slaughtered! How in the hell is he getting this?
That money should go to actually securing our schools! #FixIt https://t.co/Zv5zT3lDgP
— Andrew Pollack (@AndrewPollackFL) May 16, 2018
Peterson would not be entitled to his pension if he were convicted of a crime such as an embezzlement or bribery. However, as the sheriff’s office nor the state attorney have indicated “any charges or other circumstances” that would justify withholding Peterson’s pension, Erin Rock, secretary for the Department of Management Services, concluded in a recent letter. This is outrageous!
Should Scot Peterson continue to be paid a taxpayer-funded pension? Please leave us a comment (below) and tell us what you think.