Florida sheriff: ‘I have given amazing leadership’

Broward County (Fla.) Sheriff Scott Israel declined the opportunity to write an opposing view. Excerpts from his interview Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union:

“Let’s not forget the whole crux of this is giving law enforcement, giving deputies, giving police officers, not only in Broward County, but in Florida and around the nation, expanded power to be able to do something more than just write a report.

We need it to be a crime, if a person makes a non-specific threat coupled with the apparent ability to carry it out. If the person doesn’t have the apparent ability to carry it out, it’s not a crime.

We’re trying to change the law, so we can either arrest that person, or, more importantly, get that person to a medical facility, because if you arrest the person, there’s going to be a time where they get out of jail anyway.

We want to get people medical help for mental illnesses, continual medical help. And then when they get out of the medical facility and a doctor says they’re better, that doesn’t mean they’re better. That means they’re rehabbing.

We want to be able to take their guns away from them for a long, long period of time. And that’s what (Florida) Gov. Rick Scott is going to be introducing. And it’s a giant, giant step in the right direction.

Source: usatoday