By C1 Staff
CRESTVIEW, Fla.—Two Florida Department of Corrections officers are being hailed as heroes after they took quick action when their prisoner transport bus broke down.
According to nwfdailynews.com, Sgt. Burt Sellers and Officer George Lee were transporting 50 inmates when the brakes on their prisoner transport bus malfunctioned. The officers responded quickly to the issue and saved many lives.
State Sen. Greg Evers praised the officers in a news release saying, “Though there are difficult times we are navigating as a nation, we must stand with our officers who go above and beyond the call of duty, like Officers Sellers and Lee.”
Evers requested Gov. Rick Scott halt all the DOC bus transportation until the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division of the Florida Highway Patrol can inspect the buses for safety and compliance.
“The safety of our servicemen and women, inmates in our care, and innocent bystanders should always be a top priority,” Evers said. “The actions of our government to support our security and safety should always be a priority: Lives are at stake.”
The maintenance status for DOC’s vehicle fleet remains an ongoing issue, but the department received funding from Gov. Scott and the Florida Legislature to replace 10 buses this year, the DOC Communications Office said in an email to Northwest Florida Daily News.