He worked as a Deputy for 32 years and retired in 2010. He doesn't lose his pension because he's earned it long before this ever happened.
The charges are bullshit because a police officer is not a caregiver or parent. The man's obviously being used as a political scrapegoat . The only party that is guilty is Nicolas Cruz who actually shot the people. A police officer has no obligation to run into a building like TJ Hooker no more than a firefighter having an obligation to run into a burning building to rescue some moron who ran back in their house for their cell phone. BTW, the shooting lasted for 6 minutes so there was never an opportunity to save those people
The charges will be dropped but he's going to likely sue the County and I honestly couldn't blame him. If they want change, then pass some gun control laws or arm teachers and have metal detectors and remove the trash from classrooms
from the Sun Sentinel paper..........
Ex-Broward deputy Scot Peterson could lose his $8,702 monthly pension if he’s convicted of felony charges related to his inaction during last year’s Parkland school shooting.
Widely reviled as the “coward of Broward," Peterson was charged with child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury charges Tuesday for not rushing in to stop the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 staff and students.
Revelations of Peterson’s hefty pension led to a public outcry after the shooting, but former Gov. Rick Scott concluded the state could not lawfully withhold payments from Peterson, a 32-year law enforcement veteran.
Parkland school cop Scot Peterson gets $8,702 a month in pension »
State law allows for pensions to be stripped from officials who commit certain on-the-job felonies. A legal fight could follow if Peterson were found guilty.
State law lists specific charges that result in loss of pension, including embezzlement of public funds and bribery. But it also lists “any felony offense" committed “with intent to defraud the public or the public agency ... of the right to receive the faithful performance of his or her duty as a public officer."
Whether Peterson’s charges would qualify if he’s found guilty is unclear.
The Florida Department of Management Services, which handles the state’s pension system, did not return a phone message and email left late Tuesday.
Peterson faces seven felony charges of child neglect. The charges of perjury and culpable negligence are misdemeanors.
Mark Herron, a Tallahassee-based lawyer, said he’d need to do more legal research to say whether the charges Peterson faces could result in his losing his pension. Herron represented former Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne in his pension fight, which went all the way to the state Supreme Court.
Ultimately, Jenne lost his fight before the Supreme Court after serving 10 months for one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and three counts of filing false tax returns.
Jared Moskowitz, a former state lawmaker who represented the Parkland area, tweeted Tuesday that Peterson should be stripped of his pension.
DOCUMENT: Charging warrant for former deputy Scot Peterson »
“I don’t think anybody who stands by and watches what took place in Parkland without taking any action deserves a golden parachute,” said Moskowitz, who now heads the state’s Division of Emergency Management.
State lawmakers filed a bill this year that would have stripped Peterson of his pension, but it didn’t gain traction. Peterson’s attorneys said the bill was unconstitutional because it would inflict injury on the former deputy without due process.
“Considering the news today, ultimately it looks like he is going to be held responsible for wrongdoing," said state Rep. Chip LaMarca, R-Lighthouse Point. "We don’t want to reward people for that type of behavior.”
Broward Commissioner Michael Udine called the charges a step toward Peterson’. "being stripped of his six-figure pension,”
Peterson started receiving his pension in April 2018 after he resigned his post Feb. 22, 2018, according to the Department of Management Services. He can receive the payments for the rest of his life.
‘I hope they make his life as miserable as possible,’ says Parkland dad »
Even though Peterson resigned, the Broward Sheriff’s Office terminated him Tuesday, an administrative action that will result in his record showing he was fired. He’ll also be unable to collect unused sick leave, an agency spokeswoman said.
The sheriff’s office referred questions about Peterson’s pension to the state.
The 56-year-old Peterson was paid $101,879.03 in 2017 — $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.
