Broward County's new sheriff outlines vision for leadership

Sheriff: 'I was put here to focus on law enforcement concerns for community'

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony outlined his vision for leadership during an interview Thursday with Local 10 News. 

Reporter Michael Putney had the opportunity to ask him about a path forward for the office in the wake of the removal of former Sheriff Scott Israel and the public mistrust that followed after the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

"The confidence aspect, to your point, was absolutely shattered, and it's something that's going to take time to rebuild and part of that process is meeting the needs of recognizing the deficiencies in an organization and taking immediate corrective actions," Tony said.

Tony is a former sergeant with the Coral Springs Police Department. 

Coral Springs officers have been commended for rushing into Building 12 at Stoneman Douglas to try to confront the gunman while eight BSO deputies stayed outside

"Understanding that there's a lot of brave, dedicated men and women here, I was disappointed to know that a small fraction had failed the community and did not go in," Tony said.

Tony said all 2,800 deputies will be trained annually for active shooter situations, which is just one of several changes coming.

"I have a very great fortune that I wasn't a politician. I was put here to focus really on the law enforcement concerns for this community," he said. 

Although not a politician, Tony is not politically naïve. He recently changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and said he will run for election in 2020.