Sheriff Ric Bradshaw is dedicated to ensuring county students and schools are safe
Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, led by Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, in partnership with the School District of Palm Beach County announced an agreement to form the Active Shooter Hostage Event Response (ASHER) to speed up the response to school emergencies. The ASHER is a critical plan to ensure county students and schools are safe. Partnering law enforcement agencies include West Palm Beach Police, Palm Beach Gardens and Palm Beach Gardens Police.
The ASHER agreement comes in the wake of the Parkland School massacre which left 17 people dead in 2018.
“You saw it in Parkland,” said Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. “You know what happened? It shut radio systems down.”
One of the biggest lessons learned from the Parkland shooting is coordinated efforts between responding agencies to ultimately save lives, added to Sheriff Bradshaw.
Over the last two years, school leaders worked with other agencies to develop the ASHER. It’s a streamlined response and communication plan between the district and fire rescue, the sheriff’s office and emergency management.
“We are working together to train, speak the same language, and all decide in advance who is responsible for what, when and where during catastrophic events,” said School Chief of Police Frank Kitzerow.
With ASHER, in the event of an emergency at any public school campus in Palm Beach County, each agency knows their role if an issue arises.
“This inter-agency collaboration brings school security to a whole new level,” said Superintendent Dr. Donald Fennoy.
“I think it’s wonderful,” said Janice Harp-Smith.
Smith’s daughter is a teacher in Palm Beach County. She says, as a mother of an educator, she is pleased with the district’s commitment to safety.
“Knowing that they have stepped up the plan, that gives me peace of mind,” she told CBS12 News.
The school Chief of Police says the agreement is just another resource for the district and they still prioritize preventing issues that may arise on campus.
