No rhyme or reason on what triggers a visit.
Via Sun Sentinel:
Broward County leads the state in seeking — and getting — permission to take the guns of private citizens under the “red flag” law passed in the wake of February’s mass shooting at a Parkland high school.
As of Thursday, police agencies in the county had sought and obtained 34 “risk protection orders” authorizing the seizure of weapons from people who are considered at risk of harming themselves or others.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel surveyed court jurisdictions, called circuits, throughout the state to determine how many orders have been issued. No other circuit came close to Broward’s numbers — Miami-Dade county has issued four, the Tampa area has issued three, and the Orlando area has issued six, the second highest number in the state.
The Florida Legislature passed the red flag law on March 9 as part of a package of gun control legislation in response to Nikolas Cruz’s deadly rampage through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 and injured 17.
“I think law enforcement in Broward is under a lot of scrutiny, and they are taking every precaution available under the law to protect this community,” said Broward Circuit Judge Jack Tuter, who is handling all risk protection order applications.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office has obtained more orders than any other agency in the state — 15, according to the county’s Clerk of Courts. The remaining 19 orders in Broward were obtained by police in Lighthouse Point, Fort Lauderdale, Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Miramar, Plantation, Pembroke Pines and Sunrise.
“For us it’s not about the numbers. It’s about utilizing the tools at our disposal to ensure the safety of our community,” said Keyla Concepcion, spokeswoman for the Broward Sheriff’s Office. “Risk protection orders were a much-needed tool for law enforcement. Our deputies are exercising due diligence by making sure they’re filed in cases where it’s deemed appropriate.”
The law is ripe for challenge, said Kendra Parris, an Orlando attorney who fought back one order and has been hired to represent a Pembroke Pines teenager for another.
The target of the Pembroke Pines order posted a comment on social media that was reported to police, Parris said. The girl was brought in for more than two hours of questioning, during which police asked her about a number of statements, including her fondness for the television show “Vampire Diaries.”