ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Monday that there will now be a school resource officer in each of the county's schools.
Mina made the announcement days before the one-year anniversary of the Valentine's Day massacre Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office said it was 75 deputies short when the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act was passed.
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The bill requires each public school to be guarded by at least one school resource officer, school safety officer or school guardian.
"We wanted to fill all these positions as quickly as possible," Mina said. "It just so happens that this week we were able to do this."
There is now a dedicated school resource officer for all 116 schools the Sheriff's Office is charged with protecting, he said.
Just days before the Parkland shooting anniversary, @SheriffMina confirms there will now be a school resource officer in every school. When the law passed last year, the OCSO was short 75+ deputies. pic.twitter.com/UUy1DppnN0
— Deanna Allbrittin (@deannaTVnews) February 12, 2019
Channel 9 reported in November that it was unclear if the Sheriff's Office would meet the goal so soon.
At the time, the agency said it had hired only three external candidates, who were not expected to be fully trained by April, and about 30 openings remained.
"The men and women in recruiting here have done a great job," Mina said. "Because of other things and shifting around that we've done, we've been able to fill every single position."
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