Question about Cruz (Parkland shooter) and what the Police were supposed to do?

[titaniumsalute]

I keep hearing that the FBI and Police missed many red flags with Cruz. People (mostly neighbors) and possibly school officials reported his violent behaviors to both local Sheriff's office and the FBI. But what exactly were they supposed to do?

There aren't laws saying if someone is behaving oddly or even violently that they can come and take their guns. They can't just arrest the guy for behaving oddly. Plus most of the time he was a juvenile when he was being reported which have even more restrictions for what police could do.

Many people want to blame authorities for his shooting rampage...but I don't know what they really could have done without laws in place that supported them making moves to take his guns away or to not be able to buy those guns in the first place.

[B2G]

1. Here ya go.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article201887629.html#storylink=cpy

[mainstreetonce]

4. I heard it explained that there were specific threats

Proof existed of specific threats of violence. He could have been charged. That should have stopped the gun purchase.

[B2G]

5. Or given them cause to take them away

if he already had them. Absolutely.

[redstatebluegirl]

2. I have a family member who fits this description.

We have notified the police more than once, and they keep telling us there is nothing they can do because acting odd or being angry all the time is not enough. Plus us telling them he has made threats to family is not enough. It is harder than you think.

[Weed Man]

3. Could have sent him to the hospital for a 72 hour psych hold.

Voluntary or involuntary, your family member needed help.

[SharonAnn]

6. I have a family member who's being put in 72 hour holds repeatedly.

Probably an average of once a month. The family is heartbroken and at their wits end. But until he does something that would get him arrested, there doesn't seem to be a way to force him into treatment.

I'm not saying that it should be easy to do that, but it wouldn't surprise us if he goes off the deep end once of these days, though he's more likely to kill himself than others. Still ... there seems to be little that can be done other than use the 72 hour hold to get him out of crisis mode. It's really heartbreaking.

[Weed Man]

8. I know. I work for a group home/school...

It's really heartbreaking to see the kids abused and needing help to get through their ordeal. I don't deal with the kids on a daily basis, but support the teachers and staff.

[HeartachesNhangovers]

7. The police had been called to the home dozens of times.

The police should have advised someone there to get a restraining order (or the school if threats had been made against the school). Then, (according to the US Justice Dept at: https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-ut/legacy/2013/06/03/protection%20order%20and%20VAWA%20misdemeanor.pdf):

"Federal law generally prohibits a person who is the subject of a qualifying protection order from possessing a firearm or ammunition...".

Once the order is in place, the police remove all the firearms and ammo. Too much work to process all that paperwork, I guess. More important things to do.

[old guy]

9. Most of the people in my rural township could fall under the behaving oddly description.

In this case I can't fault the police too much.

[B2G]

10. He did a more than 'behave oddly'. nt