Daytona Beach, FL - A program aimed at adding more armed protection on school campuses is entering its second year.
And some top law enforcement officials couldn't be happier.
In his regularly scheduled appearance on last Friday's (August 2nd) Marc Bernier Show, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood talked about the armed guardian program, which moved through the Capitol last April.
The program has caught some flak throughout its passage, with some people claiming that school resource officers/deputies are enough on campuses.
But something like this program is actually needed, according to Chitwood. Otherwise, deputies and police officers could be spread too thin, especially since Volusia County has over 60 public school campuses.
"There is not enough money and there are not enough resources to put a police officer or deputy in every single school," said Sheriff Chitwood. "It's just not going to happen."
But Chitwood also mentioned that high schools could actually have "two guns" on campus instead of one. That's because high schools that already have a deputy or officer on campus might receive an additional guardian.
"The campuses are so big that there is no way that one deputy or one police officer is going to be able to get anywhere in a timely manner," said Chitwood.
Another concern of the program was whether or not guardians have the power to arrest or not, which they haven't had since the passage of the bill. That's because "they're there for one thing and one thing only," according to Sheriff Chitwood, and that's to stop any possible school shootings.
The program will begin its second year on Monday (August 12th) as Volusia County starts the 2019-2020 school year. This also comes in the wake of two major shootings in the United States.
That's the shooting in El Paso, Texas, which claimed 22 victims at a Walmart. And the shooting in Dayton, Ohio, which claimed nine lives in Dayton's nightlife district.
Marc Bernier can be heard live on WNDB, Monday through Friday, 3-6 p.m. on FM 93.5 and AM 1150. You can also find archived interviews and shows on his website, MarcBernierShow.com
