On the front lines
In 2012, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting shook the nation, a heartbreaking example of increasing threats to school safety. It left an especially profound impact on former Seminole County Superintendent Walt Griffin, who in the spring of 2016 asked the sheriff’s office to directly supervise school safety.
The sheriff had the perfect candidate in mind: Richard Francis.
For almost a decade, Francis had worked diligently at the Sheriff’s Office, gradually moving up the ranks and assuming a Lieutenant position. His career was basically set; Francis planned on staying in traditional law enforcement roles until retirement, but a direct call from the Sheriff changed everything.
“[Griffin] had the vision to say we’re educators, we’re not school safety specialists. Let’s give the sheriff the opportunity to do this,” Francis said.
Locked classroom doors, extensive visitor screenings, emergency drills, a safety officer at every campus in Seminole County—Chief Francis transformed the safety team from a small, civilian-run operation into a state-recognized “golden standard.”
With 69 schools and tens of thousands of students and staff under his supervision, Francis is more aware than ever of the growing prevalence of school shootings and other threats to students. He draws on his extensive experience in law enforcement to look at safety from a variety of different lenses, using his own kids as a “bouncing board” for ideas. Throughout his career, Francis has earned a multitude of awards and leadership roles, including but not limited to admission into the FBI National Academy and a position as an instructor for the National Tactical Officers Association.
But Francis’ life wasn’t always a poster child of success.
At 20 years old, Francis’ future was not looking bright: no college degree in sight, just out of his father’s house—and even more pressing, the grocery store he worked at abruptly closed due to the owner’s gambling problems.
“The store [closes] down and I’m like, ‘What now?’” Francis said. “At that point, I knew I [had] to get serious. My dad, my grandfather all served, so I got into the military.”
Although Francis originally envisioned himself as a member of the Air Force Pararescue team, a slow timetable and desire to find a more civilian-oriented job pushed him into the medical field. Under the curriculum of a basic EMT school, Francis, a subpar student in high school, flourished, achieving top rank in his class. His superb academic performance did not go unnoticed by his teachers, who put him on an accelerated track and eventually recommended him for paramedic school.
“I had a single dad that was working two, three jobs [to support] me, my brother and sister,” Francis said. “I just realized I wanted out and the way I was gonna get out was military and education.”
Once Francis graduated, a chance encounter with an Army Reserve airman opened the door for work as a flight medic. For the next four years, Francis spent his weekdays and weekends in the sky, training and flying all around Florida.
“For me, flying was [just] amazing,” Francis said. “The bulk of our pilots were all Vietnam guys. They could do anything with that helicopter…for those four years those pilots just took care of us. We were part of the team.”
After his time as a flight medic, Francis transitioned into the financial world. He steadily climbed the corporate ladder, eventually landing a spot as the Vice President of Operations for a Fortune 100 company. It was a promising career with a sizable salary, but the company’s “profit over everything” mindset began taking a toll on Francis.
“My hair’s falling out. I’m not sleeping, I’m gaining weight, just miserable,” Francis said. “The tipping point for me was [when] we were asked to start laying off employees. They were just hell-bent on making sure these employees that were loyal and had a decent salary went away.…I refused to do it.”
After his resignation, Francis worked for a few years at Florida Fish and Wildlife before transitioning to his current workplace at the Sheriff’s office. Before his present role as head of the Safety Team, Francis was involved in a variety of different fields, from entry level patrol to domestic security. For a few years, Francis had the opportunity to investigate major crimes like homicides and sexual assault.
“I learned a ton…but also you see the side of society that’s not pretty,” Francis said. “At the end of the day, I never could fulfill the void in a mom’s view because [solving the crime] doesn’t bring her son back.”
Despite the horrors Francis has encountered in the nature of his work, he still holds onto the hope that all his preparation and planning will make a difference.
“School safety and security is a 24/7 job. We plan each day for the worst-case scenario and pray for the best-case scenario,” Francis said. “I want to be very transparent. I can’t prevent some knucklehead that is not on our radar, jumping the fence [and] doing something like [at] Uvalde [but] I can 100% assure that our recovery will be second to none.”
As chief, Francis and his team serve as the bridge between the sheriff’s office and Seminole County Public Schools. Although Francis is no longer working hands-on in the field or classroom, he prioritizes getting student opinions and continues to incorporate them in his safety initiative through student-led campaigns and stories from his own kids. In the beginning stages of the safety team, Francis would occasionally make visits to local high schools and directly ask students where they saw the need for improvement. His recent promotion to Chief of the Department of School Safety has only heightened his sense of duty to these students.
“[My hope and desire is that] kids arrive for school and go home safe and feel safe while they’re in school,” Francis said. “I’m responsible for the most vulnerable and that is something that I’m very passionate about.”
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