Scott Israel, the former Sheriff of Broward County, Florida, is running for the position again after he was removed from office following the mass shooting in Parkland last year, CBS News reports.
Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Israel shortly after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in which 17 students were killed, selecting former Coral Springs police Sgt. Gregory Tony as his replacement. According to CBC affiliate WPEC-TV, Israel filed the paperwork to run for re-election in the 2020 Democratic primary on Monday.
"I want to get back to working with the incredible men and women of the Broward County Sheriff's Office," he said. "I want to get back to my communities."
DeSantis suspended Israel for "repeated failures, incompetence and neglect of duty,” and later fired two Broward County deputies. The sheriff’s department eventually lost its law enforcement accreditation because of the shootings at Parkland and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
A state commission that investigated the shooting determined that Israel made changes to the department’s policy on active shooters, which may have contributed to the lack of action taken by deputies during the shooting.
Israel argues that his training was “industry standard,” telling CBS that it is “the same training as many other sheriffs and police department,” and saying that his suspension was about politics, not Parkland.”
He added, "If and when the people of Broward County vote for another person who receives more votes than me, then I'll walk away from this job with my head held high.”
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