Lake County Needs a Sheriff that will Prioritize School Safety

We live in increasingly dangerous times. Over the last few decades, school shootings have become a normal occurrence. There has been an average of one school shooting per week in 2018. One of the top priorities of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) should be the protection of schools within the jurisdiction of the LCSO. The current administration is simply not doing enough to protect our children.

Days before the Parkland School, one of the worst school shooting events in recent memory, the LCSO conducted zero school checks according to information obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests. The day after Parkland there were 14 school checks conducted. Our administration is reactive instead of proactive. A law enforcement agency as large as the LCSO should conduct multiple school checks during school hours when vulnerability is high.

At the Daily Herald endorsement interview, I stated that multiple schools checks should be conducted during school hours. The Daily Herald asked Mark Curran if he could do multiple checks per day Mark replied that he could not do that under current resources. This is unacceptable. There is nothing more important than the safety of our children.

"Part of being the top law enforcement officer is being able to determine resources, re-allocate as needed, and find new ways to fund our safety initiatives. School safety should be a top priority, and as your sheriff I will find the resources," said John Idleburg, Lake County Sheriff Candidate.

"We can’t afford to be reactive. The safety of our children depend on it," Idleburg added.