Scot Peterson, disgraced Parkland school cop, starts getting $8,702-a-month pension
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Scot Peterson, a former deputy with the Broward County Sheriff's Office, has reportedly started to receive a hefty pension — three months after he retired amid the aftermath of the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Peterson, a 33-year law enforcement veteran, was the resource deputy stationed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 when 17 people were killed by gunfire.
As one of the largest mass shootings in modern U.S. history unfolded, Peterson never entered the building where alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz was opening fire and instead took up a position outside the building that was under attack.
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Peterson, 55, was widely criticized for his actions and Broward Sheriff Scott Israel opened an internal investigation. The deputy resigned and retired on Feb. 23, "rather than face possible termination."
Peterson, the Sun-Sentinel reported, has received a monthly state pension of $8,702.35 since April. He was paid $101,879.03 last year, according to the news outlet, which cited sheriff's office records.
The former deputy stood by his actions after the shooting. His lawyer said in a statement at the time that "the allegations that Mr. Peterson was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue."
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Peterson hasn't been criminally charged in relation to the shooting, but his pension benefits could possibly be forefeited, according to the Sentinel, pending a Florida state inquiry into how police responded to the shooting.
Peterson was named in a wrongful death suit last month by Andrew Pollack, father of shooting victim Meadow, who tweeted the former cop "let those children and teachers die."