FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Broward Sheriff’s Office unveiled a new training center Thursday, designed to help deputies prepare for various critical scenarios like the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
Family members of the victims killed on that terrible day were there to see it firsthand.
BSO officials said they now have a dedicated training facility for the first time in the agency’s more than 100-year history. Sheriff Gregory Tony said the project was born from one of the darkest days in Broward County history.
It’s been dubbed BSO’s Research, Development and Training Center. According to BSO, “The facility features specialized training rooms, simulation labs and tactical firing ranges designed to replicate real-world scenarios and hone critical decision-making skills and tactical readiness.”
In the lobby, deputies reporting for active shooter preparedness training will walk by the names of the 17 staff and students murdered at MSD.
“It is because of that tragedy that this building is now standing,” Tony said. “For 109 years, this organization has not had its own training facility and not having that has created a lot of deficiencies in the organization and so for us to finally be able to cut the ribbon and move this thing forward has an overall impact on the safety of this entire community, all of Broward County.”
Tony Montalto, who lost his daughter, Gina, that day, called the shooting “one the lowest points in the history of the Broward Sheriff’s Office.”
Deficiencies in BSO’s response led to the ouster of then-Sheriff Scott Israel and an unsuccessful attempt to prosecute former Deputy Scot Peterson, who was accused of failing to act that day.
4:30 p.m. report:
“This is certainly a state-of-the-art facility,” Montalto said.
Gena Hoyer, who lost her son, Luke, in the shooting, said, “The lobby is beautiful, a remembrance of all the loved ones who were lost that day due to failures that showed up on campus that day.”
Hunter Pollack, who lost his sister, Meadow, said, “Behind that beauty is a powerful meaning.”
“When an officer shows up to work they are going to remember why they chose to become a police officer, to serve and protect and that day they failed to do so,” he said.
Montalto said he hopes to see other law enforcement agencies train in the facility.
“And every one of them is going to walk by the lobby and see the names of my beautiful daughter Gina, Gena’s son Luke, and the others who were taken that day, take as part of the failure of this organization (BSO) and they are going to know that they have to train hard, they have to do everything they can to prevent this,” he said. “It is not hyperbole, every second counts for victims, students, teachers, who are in the line of fire in these incidents and that I am sure will be pressed home.”
Oliver: ‘Why are they using my son’s name inside?’
Not all of the victims’ families offered praise, however.
Manuel and Patricia Oliver, who lost their son, Joaquin, in the shooting, confronted Tony about a pending civil lawsuit filed by some of the families against BSO. They said they feel the agency hasn’t closed a chapter of accountability.
“We don’t feel comfortable having Joaquin Oliver’s name in this memorial,” Manuel Oliver said.
The Olivers did not tour the building.
“I apologize, I wasn’t the sheriff that was responsible for that tragedy,” Tony responded.
“We know that,” Patricia Oliver said.
Tony went on to say that he “understood the importance for what that meant to you all.”
“This agency is responsible, we have our guilt in this, we have blood on our hands,” the sheriff said. “That is why I pushed forward with all of this advanced training, that is why I memorialized the center, so that every single time we walk through here, not one damn bit of my deputies are going to forget your kids.”
Manuel Oliver later told Local 10 News, “If you know that our life is going into this space of eternal sadness, you can’t make our life easier by closing chapters, so don’t tell me today I should be happy and honored that my son’s name is in that building. It is very clear (this) entity failed, why are they using my son’s name inside?”
Patricia Oliver later said she was “satisfied” with the sheriff’s remarks. She and her husband have become advocates for gun control in the wake of the shooting.
“They are going to be training here how to confront a 19-year-old that is holding an AR-15, we are trying to prevent a 19-year-old from having access to an AR-15, so I think we need to do both things,” Manuel Oliver said.
Montalto said that he believes discussions about civil litigation should be saved for another day.
“We still have more for the sheriff’s office to do for our families (with the civil suit still pending), let’s be clear about that, but that is for another time,” he said. “We do thank Gregory Tony and we should all be thankful for having him and his leadership here.”
Pollack later concluded, “You can never get 17 families to agree on everything, but at the end of the day, when police officers walk in to go and train, they will remember those names on the wall and they will go extra hard on their training.”
County audit states funding ‘not adequate’
A June 10 Broward County audit report on the training center concluded that “project funding is not adequate to meet anticipated project costs.”
“Specifically, we note that the total anticipated Project costs are $73.6 million while dedicated Project funding is $64.1 million, consisting of $55.5 million appropriated by the County and $8.6 reallocated by BSO, resulting in a $9.5 million funding shortfall as of June 10, 2024,” it states.
A BSO spokesperson responded to the memo, stating, “The $9.5 million is not a funding shortfall. For greater clarification, the County mandated drainage changes totaling $6.1 million. The County also mandated HVAC changes costing $1.1 million. Additionally, $1 million was spent for permit fees the County could have waived on the construction of this County building.”