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Orlando Police Department

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28°32′29″N 81°23′00″W / 28.541285°N 81.383455°W / 28.541285; -81.383455

Orlando Police Department
Patch of the Orlando P.D.
Patch of the Orlando P.D.
Seal of the Orlando P.D.
Seal of the Orlando P.D.
AbbreviationOPD
Motto"Courage, Pride, Commitment"
Agency overview
Formed1875
Jurisdictional structure
Legal jurisdictionCity of Orlando
Operational structure
Sworn members800+
Unsworn members150+
Agency executive
Facilities
LockupsOrange County Corrections[1]
Website
Official website

The Orlando Police Department (OPD) is responsible for law enforcement within the city limits of Orlando, Florida. The OPD employs over 800 sworn officers and over 150 civilian employees serving the citizens of Orlando through crime prevention, criminal investigations, and apprehension, neighborhood policing, involvement through the schools with young people and overall delivery of police services.

The current Chief of Police is Orlando Rolón.[2] In May of 2022, Mayor of Orlando Buddy Dyer announced that deputy chief Eric Smith would become chief in November.[3]

History

In the 1960s, the OPD ran a firearm training program for women, in response to increased rates of rape.[4]

Jerry Demings became the OPD's first African-American chief in 1998, and served until 2002.[5]

The police department has managed, along with local radio program The Monsters in the Morning on WTKS-FM,[citation needed] a "no questions asked" gun exchange for gift cards or sports shoes. In August, 2007, a man turned in an item first identified as a rocket launcher resulting in international publicity.[6][7][8] The item was later determined to be an empty carrying case for a TOW missile and its launcher.[9]

Orlando's first female police chief, Val Demings, was appointed in 2007. Her husband and former police chief Jerry was elected Sheriff of Orange County in 2008: his opponent mentioned his wife's position as a potential conflict of interest. Violent crime in Orlando decreased drastically during her tenure as chief.[10] In 2009 Police Chief Val Deming's agency-issued 9mm Sig Sauer P226 was stolen from her vehicle.[11] She requested that she be disciplined for not securing her weapon properly, and received a written censure.[12] Demings retired on June 1, 2011.[13]

A 2008 Orlando Weekly exposé described the Orlando Police Department as "a place where rogue cops operate with impunity, and there's nothing anybody who finds himself at the wrong end of their short fuse can do about it."[14] A 2015 article about Val Deming's congressional campaign in The Atlantic stated that the Orlando Police Department "has a long record of excessive-force allegations, and a lack of transparency on the subject, dating back at least as far as Demings's time as chief."[15] Demings responded with an op-ed in the Orlando Sentinel, writing, "Looking for a negative story in a police department is like looking for a prayer at church", adding, "It won't take long to find one." In the same op-ed, she cast doubt on video evidence that conflicts with officers' statements in excessive force cases, writing, "a few seconds (even of video) rarely capture the entire set of circumstances."[15]

In 2010, an Orlando police officer flipped 84-year-old World War II veteran Daniel Daley over his shoulder after the man became belligerent, throwing him to the ground and breaking a vertebra in his neck.[16][17] Daley alleged excessive force and filed a lawsuit. The police department cleared the officer as "justified" in using a "hard take down" to arrest Daley, concluding he used the technique correctly even though he and the other officer made conflicting statements. Demings said "the officer performed the technique within department guidelines" but also that her department had "begun the process of reviewing the use of force policy and will make appropriate modifications." A federal jury ruled in Daley's favor and awarded him $880,000 in damages.[15][18][19][20][21]

The OPD together with the Orange County Sheriff's Office responded to the Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016. An OPD officer ultimately shot and killed shooter Omar Mateen after he fired on the responding officers.[22]

In 2022, the OPD was kicked out of the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training program after an instructor wrote to ABLE stating that officers were not taking the full eight hours of the class.[23]

Since the establishment of the Orlando Police Department, 15 officers have died in the line of duty.[24]

Academy

Through a joint effort with other local agencies and Valencia College, uncertified newly hired officers attend a 22-week academy at the Criminal Justice Institute at VCC.

Organization

Specialized units

OPD operates a wide range of specialized enforcement units including:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Facilities - OCFL". netapps.ocfl.net. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  2. ^ "Orlando Rolon Appointed Next OPD Chief". City of Orlando Police Department. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  3. ^ "Eric Smith, 27-year department veteran, to be next Orlando Police chief". www.mynews13.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  4. ^ Kleck, Gary (2005). Point Blank : Guns and Violence in America. Somerset: Taylor and Francis. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-351-49936-1. OCLC 999642641.
  5. ^ "Married cops to head next-door agencies". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  6. ^ "Florida Cops Get Missile Launcher in 'Kicks for Guns' Exchange". Fox News. August 17, 2007.
  7. ^ Amnesty: Rocket Launcher Swapped For Trainers |Sky News|World News
  8. ^ "Police get missile launcher during gun-shoe exchange". China Post. 2007-08-20. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  9. ^ "Item first identified as a missile launcher is actually a carrying case". Orlando Sentinel. 2007-08-21. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
  10. ^ Stevens, Dennis J. (2018). An introduction to American policing (Second edition ed.). Burlington, MA. p. 209. ISBN 978-1-284-11011-1. OCLC 972308950. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ^ Pierson Curtis, Henry (2009-03-26). "Orlando chief vows to review policy on cop guns in cars". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  12. ^ "Demings censured for not properly securing gun". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  13. ^ "Orlando's First Female Police Chief Val Demings, Retires". West Orlando News. 2011-05-03. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  14. ^ Billman, Jeffrey C. (July 10, 2008). "MIGHT MAKES RIGHT". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  15. ^ a b c Fitzpatrick, Jack (September 8, 2015). "Orlando Police Complaints in the Spotlight as African-American Ex-Chief Runs for Congress". The Atlantic. Boston, Massachusetts: Emerson Collective. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  16. ^ "Orlando Policeman Breaks 84-Year-Old's Neck". allgov.com. September 24, 2010.
  17. ^ Dixon, Matt; King, Maya (2020-07-11). "When Val Demings Stood by Police Officers Accused of Excessive Force". POLITICO. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  18. ^ "Orlando police officer found liable in excessive force trial". Click Orlando. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  19. ^ Hernandez, Arelis (September 22, 2010). "Confrontation with Orlando cop leaves 84-year-old vet with broken neck, son says". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida: Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  20. ^ "Cop Who Broke Elderly Man's Neck Cleared". WFTV 9. October 15, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  21. ^ Palm, Anika Myers; Pacheco, Walter (October 15, 2010). "OPD Chief Val Demings: Takedown move that broke elderly man's neck 'within department guidelines'". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  22. ^ Ellis, AnneClaire; Stapleton, Ralph (2016-06-12). "Timeline of Orlando nightclub shooting". CNN. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  23. ^ "Orlando Police Department kicked out of program to help stop officer misconduct". WFTV. 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  24. ^ "Orlando Police Department, FL". The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP). Retrieved 2022-05-22.
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