Broward County deputy who failed to act begins receiving huge pension — and people are not happy

The Broward County Sheriff’s deputy stationed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who failed to act and engage the killer while the February massacre was ongoing, has begun receiving a massive pension now that he is retired.

What are the details?

According to the Sun-Sentinel, Scot Peterson, the school resource officer assigned to MSD, began receiving his monthly pension of $8,702.35 in April.

More from the Sun-Sentinel:

The 55-year-old Peterson, a Broward deputy for 32 years, was paid $101,879.03 last year — $75,673.72 in base salary plus overtime and other compensation, according to sheriff’s office records. Until the shooting, he was considered a trusted school resource officer at Stoneman Douglas, according to annual reviews of his performance.

Peterson's pension rate is calculated by his number of years in service and the average of his five highest-paid years. However, the figure does not reflect fringe benefits, such as Peterson's state-provided health insurance coverage.

Peterson gained national infamy in February after it was revealed he hid outside a school building while one of the largest school shootings in U.S. history was ongoing. After learning of his actions, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel opened an investigation, prompting Peterson to resign and retire rather than face termination and the possible loss of his state pension.

The investigation into the response to the massacre has yet to conclude. However, if the investigation finds wrongdoing on Peterson's part, he could still lose his pension, the Sentinel reported.

What was the response to Peterson receiving his pension?

People are not happy. Andrew Pollack, who lost his 18-year-old daughter, Meadow, in the shooting, told the Sentinel that Peterson is a "disgrace." Pollack filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Peterson last month.

"This guy is a disgrace. It doesn’t change when he looks in the mirror," he said. "He’s a disgrace and a coward."

Pollack said Peterson should not be entitled to his pension and instead suggested the pension monies be allotted for school safety.

Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was also murdered in the massacre, tweeted:

This infuriates me in ways people cannot comprehend. My daughter would still be alive if this person did his job.https://t.co/MVYtMKjtGh

— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) May 16, 2018