As you know, Police Chief Michael McCoy has a long and distinguished career with the Orlando Police Department, serving the citizens of Orlando for nearly 30 years. He recently notified me of his plans to retire as Police Chief. As a result, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Deputy Chief Val Demings as Police Chief to oversee the day-to-day operations of the department and serve as chief counsel to the City in matters of public safety.

Over the past few years, we have worked relentlessly to keep our neighborhoods safe. We’ve put resources in place, put new police boots on the ground and sent a message to criminals that crime will not be tolerated in our community. And now that message has a powerful, new voice. I am confident in Chief Demings’ ability to lead OPD, effectively combating the crime of today and ensuring the safety of our community tomorrow.

Demings has a proven track record in every facet and function of law enforcement operations including: uniform patrol, criminal investigations, special operations, internal investigations, airport services, crime prevention, tactical patrol operations, neighborhood patrol operations and crisis negotiation. She also brings an extensive background with training from the FBI National Academy and the Southern Police Institute Command Officer’s Development Course, and numerous leadership roles with community service organizations.

Most recently, Demings was responsible for "Operation Delta," a multi-phased operation targeting street-level drug operations, resulting in the arrests of hundreds of individuals.

Demings’ appointment as Police Chief will come before the Orlando City Council on December 3, 2007. Please join me in congratulating Chief Demings in her new role and wishing Chief McCoy the best of luck.