Chief: officers will confront school shooters before backup

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A Florida police chief says officers under his command are expected to engage any school shooter without waiting for backup or setting up a perimeter.

The Gainesville Sun reports that Gainesville Police Chief Tony Jones on Tuesday said at a community meeting that his officers are expected to “impact the threat” before doing anything else.

The chief’s comments came after a school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland was criticized for waiting outside a school building during a shooting that killed 17 people. The officer in Parkland resigned afterward.

Jones says his department has been trained to know that in the event of a similar school shooting they are to immediately go after the threat.

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Information from: The Gainesville (Fla.) Sun, http://www.gainesvillesun.com