The Orange County Sheriff's Office is the chief

law enforcement agency A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LEAs ...

for

Orange County, Florida Orange County is located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,429,908, making it Florida's fifth most populous county. The county seat is Orlando. Orange County is the central county ...

. The office is large with a budget of more than $300 million and over 2,700 sworn and civilian employees. The current sheriff, John Mina, was elected in a 2018 special election, and is the chief law enforcement officer of Orange County responsible for the safety of over one million residents and the more than 72 million tourists that visit Orange County each year.

History

The first sheriff of Orange County dates from the earliest days of Florida's statehood in 1845. On January 31, 1845, the area known as

Mosquito County Mosquito County (also labeled on maps as Musquito County) is the historic name of an early county that once comprised most of the eastern part of Florida. Its land included all of present-day Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, ...

in Territorial Florida was renamed Orange County, a name reflective of the spreading blanket of orange groves throughout the region. Less than six weeks later, on March 3, 1845, Florida's status as a territory was changed to that of statehood. The first statewide election was conducted on May 26, 1845. William Henry Williams was elected to serve as Orange County's first sheriff. Since 1845, numerous prominent individuals have held the position of the Orange County Sheriff, including David William Mizell. Mizell was the only sheriff killed in the line of duty. There have been numerous theories and tales regarding the story which led to his demise, ranging from the local tradition of the Barber–Mizell feud to Reconstruction politics to a lawman simply attempting to do his additional duty of levying fines and collecting taxes. In 2000, during a hostage standoff in Orlando, a SWAT team sniper accidentally shot a hostage instead of the hostage-taker. The city and the OCSO settled with the hostage's family for $3.9 million dollars, with OCSO paying $1.9 million. In 2004, state senator

Gary Siplin Gary Anthony Siplin (born October 21, 1954 in Orlando, Florida) was a Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing the 19th District from 2003. Previously he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 through 2002. ...

stated that the OCSO routinely used deadly force against unarmed

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

. Together with the

Orlando Police Department 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 ...

, the OCSO responded to the 2016

Orlando nightclub shooting On , 2016, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man, killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States. Orlando Police officers shot and killed him after a three-hour standoff. In a 9- ...

Deaths

Since 1870, one Sheriff, 17 Deputy Sheriffs, and one Corrections Officer have died in the line of duty. 1. Sheriff David W. L. Mizell
EOW: Monday, February 21, 1870
Cause: Gunfire 2. Deputy Sheriff Bobby L. Corley, Sr.
EOW: Sunday, August 8, 1965
Cause: Vehicular assault 3. Deputy Sheriff Samuel Parker, Jr.
EOW: Thursday, January 23, 1975
Cause: Motorcycle accident 4. Deputy Sheriff Arnold William Wilkerson
EOW: Tuesday, January 10, 1984
Cause: Gunfire 5. Deputy Sheriff Frank Nelson Seton
EOW: Wednesday, January 4, 1989
Cause: Fall 6. Deputy Sheriff Thomas Allen Ingram
EOW: Saturday, May 12, 1990
Cause: Vehicular assault 7. Deputy Sheriff Harry Jordan Dalton, Jr.
EOW: Monday, March 25, 1991
Cause: Gunfire 8.Deputy Sheriff John Joseph Creegan
EOW: Wednesday, May 29, 1996
Cause: Vehicular assault 9. Deputy Sheriff Grady Terrill Braddock
EOW: Wednesday, May 27, 1998
Cause: Vehicular assault 10. Deputy Sheriff John Harold Hollomon
EOW: Tuesday, December 15, 1998
Cause: Automobile accident 11. Deputy Sheriff James Marcus "Jimmy" Weaver
EOW: Monday, November 24, 2003
Cause: Struck by vehicle 12. Deputy Sheriff Mariano "Rocky" Lemus, Jr.
EOW: Friday, May 6, 2005
Cause: Duty related illness 13. Deputy Sheriff Michael Anthony Callin
EOW: Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Cause: Vehicular assault 14. Corrections Officer Mark Lindsey Parker
EOW: Thursday, March 19, 2009
Cause: Gunfire 15. Master Deputy Craig A. Heber
EOW: Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Cause: Heart attack 16. Deputy First Class Brandon Lee Coates
EOW: Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Cause: Gunfire 17. Detective Michael K. Erickson
EOW: Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Cause: Heart attack 18. Deputy Sheriff Jonathan Scott Pine
EOW: Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Cause: Gunfire 19. Deputy First Class Norman Lewis
EOW: Monday, January 9, 2017
Cause: Traffic Accident

Notable people

Sandy Adams Sandra Adams (born December 14, 1956) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for . She is a member of the Republican Party. She is a former law enforcement professional who represented District 33 in the Florida House of Repr ...

, investigator, later member of the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

(2002–2010) and

US House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

(2011–2013) *

Kevin Beary Kevin Beary (born May 12, 1957) was Sheriff from 1993 to 2009 of Orange County, Florida, United States, heading the Orange County Sheriff's Office, one of the largest law enforcement bodies in the Southeastern United States. Biography Beary is ...

, sheriff (1993–2009) *

Jerry Demings Jerry L. Demings (born June 12, 1959) is an American politician and former law enforcement officer serving as Mayor of Orange County, Florida, in office since 2018. A Democrat, he previously served as Sheriff of Orange County, Florida, from 200 ...

, sheriff (2009–2018) *John W. Mina, sheriff (2019–present)

Notes

External links

Orange County Sheriff's Office
{{Coord, 28.5517, -81.4120, type:landmark, display=title Orange County, Florida Sheriffs' departments of Florida 1845 establishments in Florida

History

Deaths

Notable people

See also

Notes

External links