Special deputies to carry guns on Florida campus

Polk County, Fla. (WFLA/CNN Newsource) – Some faculty and staff at a Florida University are now packing heat.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Department is teaming up with Southeastern University to train and allow select employees to carry concealed firearms.

It’s called the “Sentinel Program” and it is designed to help protect people on campus in the event of an active shooting incident.

Normally guns aren’t allowed on campus but the sheriff’s office said assigning “special deputies” is a legal alternative

Sheriff Grady Judd said, “We’re over being sitting ducks in this county, we’re shooting back.”

The sheriff said four other schools have shown interest in the sentinel program.

Some critics who are against having guns on university campuses say schools should be investing more in highly trained security guards.

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