As Florida students prepare for a new academic year, Attorney General Ashley Moody is honoring the efforts of Volusia County school resource deputies with a Thin Line Tribute and encouraging students to help prevent crime by engaging with Hallway Heroes. Attorney General Moody created the Thin Line Tribute to recognize front-line law enforcement officers. Last year, she launched Hallway Heroes to encourage students to build bonds of trust with school resource officers, making it easier to report suspicious or criminal activity in schools.
Attorney General Ashley Moody stated, “Our school resource deputies are the unsung, front-line heroes who ensure our schools are safe and secure for students. They play an integral role in protecting youth, who face many grave threats today—from online predators and digital drug dealers to counterfeit pills and illicit vapes containing fentanyl. As students get ready to go back to school, I’m recognizing the brave men and women who serve on campus and urging students to help protect their fellow classmates by reaching out to these Hallway Heroes when they learn of suspicious or dangerous activity."
One threat facing students is dangerous illicit substances such as fentanyl. Fentanyl is often found in counterfeit prescription pills designed to resemble less harmful drugs. According to a report from the Drug Enforcement Administration, 7 out of 10 pills seized contain a lethal dose. Illicit fentanyl can also be found laced in vape pods. In Volusia County alone, authorities confiscated 30 illicit vapes laced with drugs from students—six of those vapes contained fentanyl. With just two milligrams of fentanyl being enough to cause an overdose, these vapes could prove lethal.
In October 2023, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office arrested a teenager who ran off campus after being caught vaping in a Deltona High School bathroom. Investigators reported that the student left the vape behind, which tested positive for fentanyl. Additionally, a student is accused of selling another student a vape laced with drugs in July 2023 that caused the buyer to pass out in a bathroom at DeLand High School.
Also last July, VCSO responded to a home in DeLand where parents found their 17-year-old child dead in the bedroom with white powder located near the deceased’s cellphone. The powder tested positive for fentanyl. The teen died after using cocaine laced with fentanyl purchased from another 17-year-old in the area—who authorities suspect is the same dealer who sold a vape to the DeLand High student.
Last year, an Orlando teenager bought and used what was thought to be Percocet but actually contained fentanyl. The teen went into cardiac arrest and subsequently was in a coma for nearly a month after the incident. As a result of the overdose effects, the teen is now in a wheelchair and is relearning how to speak.
In 2022, Miami Beach Police Department School Liaison Officer Hector Guzman's insight led to apprehending a dangerous predator. A student alerted Officer Guzman about a substitute teacher contacting students inappropriately via Snapchat and soliciting criminal activity. Officer Guzman gathered additional evidence, interviewed other students, and notified authorities who arrested the substitute teacher. Attorney General Moody recognized Officer Guzman with a Distinguished Victim Services Award at the 2023 Victims' Rights Week Award Ceremony.
Today’s Thin Line Tribute honored 18 school resource deputies serving in Volusia County while Attorney General Moody thanked all school resource officers statewide. She also recognized Deputy Ceckanowicz as School Resource Officer of the Year at today’s event.
Volusia County schools committed today to displaying Hallway Heroes material in high schools this academic year.
Thin Line Tribute is one way Attorney General Moody shows support for Florida law enforcement alongside initiatives like Back the Blue Award which highlights law enforcement officers that go above and beyond duty as well as citizens and organizations showing extraordinary support for officers.