The Daily Briefing

The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution recognized two Orange County Sheriff's Office Deputies today: Master Deputy Chris Marcus and Deputy First Class Autumn Chouinard. 

Deputy Marcus was awarded the Medal for Heroism after shielding a Sergeant who had been shot several times, saving his life.

Deputy First Class Autumn Chouinard received the Law Enforcement Commendation Medal for her work ethic and dedication to law enforcement in many areas.

We are proud of our deputies!

Sheriff Mina was proud to recently welcome seven new members to the Orange County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team. The deputies completed a two week SWAT seminar, hundreds of hours of training, and their one year probationary period to become full members of the SWAT Team. 

Today the Orange County Sheriff's Office Mounted Unit hosted a retirement party for Diesel, one of our valued Mounts. Refreshments included carrot cake and carrots. 

Diesel was donated three years ago by Mitchell Rice and his daughter. He is a 14 year old Thoroughbred and has served the citizens of Orange County admirably since 2016.

He will be joining other OCSO retired Mounts Hollywood, Roman, and Dylan at Mill Creek Farms in Alachua County, Florida. Mill Creek Farms is a beautiful non-profit stable that cares for many horses. We will miss him, but we know that Diesel will enjoy his new retirement home!

Corporal Joyce Rougeux and Deputy First Class Jason Sickles were recently honored as December Deputies of the Month for Sector 5. In December, they responded to a violent domestic disturbance in which a woman was strangled. They immediately secured the suspect, keeping the couple's 3-year old child safe from harm. 

Corporal Rougeux and DFC Sickles attempted life-saving efforts, but tragically the woman could not be saved. OCSO thanks them for their efforts and commitment during this difficult and tragic situation.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office was proud to partner with the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #93 for the Annual Cops and Kids Holiday Shopping event. Over 150 children attended the event at the Super Target on Millenia Plaza Way. Each child was able to purchase up to $100 in holiday gifts while shopping with one of our deputies. Thank you to everyone that made this event possible!

This year we have 8 Burglar Boxes available in Orange County to accept cardboard packaging. Help reduce residential burglaries by bringing your boxes to one of these locations. 

Sector I

• Sector I Sub-Station, 1111 N. Rock Springs Road, Apopka FL 32712 (Front parking lot on the side (north)
• 2714 N. Pine Hills Road Orlando, (Shopping Plaza at North West corner of Silver Star/Pine Hills- Dumpster should go closer to Pine Hills Road)

Sector II

• Waterford Lakes Towne Center, 525 N Alafaya Trl. Orlando, FL  (Behind Pier 1)

Sector III

• St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 4851 S. Apopka Vineland Rd Orlando, Fl. 32819 (as soon as you turn onto property there is a grassy area)
• Walmart New Independence 16313 New Independence Parkway, FL 34787.   (NW corner of the parking lot near the fence closer to the Wendy’s)  

Sector IV

• Conway United Methodist Church, 3401 South Conway Road Orlando, FL (south side of the property near the dumpsters)
• Publix, 12195 South Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL (Near the Orange Blossom Trail)

Sector V

• Winn Dixie located 11957 S Apopka Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32836.  (near Apopka Vineland Road)

Sheriff and Mayor-Elect Jerry L. Demings and Sheriff-Elect John W. Mina were proud to attend the recent Grand Opening and Dedication of the Jerry Demings Center for Recovery and Reentry. The center offers comprehensive therapeutic services to criminal justice involved individuals and their families. We are honored to partner with them as part of our efforts to reduce the impact opioids has on our community in Central Florida.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office kicked off the 10th Annual Operation Safe Holiday at the Florida Mall. Due to the efforts of law enforcement and citizen awareness, there has been a combined 29% decrease in commercial, auto, and residential burglaries and robberies in recent years. Sheriff Demings wants to remind you of a few safety tips for this holiday season:

• Always lock your car and keep your valuables hidden
• Keep packages in the trunk of your car and out of sight
• Shop with friends or family, there is safety in numbers
• Tell a security guard or store employee if you see anything that appears suspicious, such as an unattended bag or package
• Be alert and have your keys ready when returning to your car
• Do not dispose of boxes from big ticket purchases outside of your home

We hope that you and your family have a safe and happy holiday season.

K9s United raises money with 5K and 9K races to help Central Florida K9 units get the equipment and training they need. K9 Koa is lacing up and ready to go for this fun event!

What: 5K run/walk, 1 mile fun run and 9K run/walk
Where: Northwest Recreational Complex | Apopka, FL
When: December 1st, 2018 at 8:00am

For full information, view the 9K for K9s Flyer.

On October 23, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings proudly presented several awards to agency employees and members of the community. The following were honored for their outstanding service to the community. We thank New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka for opening your facility to us for the Award Ceremony.

Frank Seton Award

May: Deputy Angel Mendoza

September: Master Deputy Chris Marcus

John Cassady Award

September: PST I Telecommunicator Kellie Parsons

October: ASL Crime Scene Investigator/Reserve Deputy Michael Vincent

Medal of Merit

Sergeant Jamie Hoffman

Sergeant Jeremy Bint

Deputy First Class Thomas Lassiter

Deputy Angel Mendoza

Deputy Brendan Moore

PST I Telecommunicator Kellie Parsons

Lizette Berrios

Leon Wright

Carlos Fernandez

Deputy Angel Mendoza

Distinguished Service Award

ASL Crime Scene Investigator/Reserve Deputy Michael Vincent

Along with these awards, we recognized many others for their dedication, service, and professionalism while serving the citizens of Orange County. Congratulations to all of the recipients and thank you for your service.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office Reserve Unit was recently recognized with the 2018 IACP Leadership in Volunteer Policing Award. The OCSO Reserve Unit is made up entirely of volunteer deputy sheriffs, men and women who have undergone extensive amounts of initial police training and annual re-training, to serve their community as police officers. The OCSO Reserve Unit was recognized because of the integration of reserves within the agency, progressive leadership and innovation, and a record of service above self. Congratulations OCSO Reserve Unit!

The Orange County Sheriff's Office hosted the 10th Safety Expo this past Saturday, October 20. The Safety Expo is an opportunity for kids and adults to get hands-on experience with our Specialty Equipment and Teams such as our helicopter, K-9, motorcycles, bomb squad, forensics, and much more! It's always a pleasure to interact with the community, sharing safety tips, and getting feedback!

The Orange County Sheriff's Office is offering a $50 gift card for your unwanted firearms!

Deputies will be at four locations in Orange County on Tuesday, October 16th collecting firearms. No questions asked and no ID required! Citizens asked to place the unloaded weapon inside a plastic bag. An OCSO deputy will remove the gun from the vehicle.

United Church of Christ, 9300 University Boulevard, Orlando (7am-5pm)

Place of Grace Church, 1336 Pine Hills Road, Orlando (7am-5pm)

OBT Development Building, 2719 South Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando (7am-7pm)

John Bridges Center, 445 West 13th Steet, Apopka (7am-7pm)

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings and his staff was pleased to attend several National Night Out events this week to promote crime prevention in the community. The annual event aims to promote relationships between law enforcement and the community to help increase safety. 

Thank you to all of the communities that participated!