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| Orange County Sheriff's Office | |
|---|---|
 | |
_logo_(cropped).png){kind=logo} | |
 Flag of Orange County | |
| Abbreviation | OCSO |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1845 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | USA |
 | |
| Map of Orange County Sheriff's Office's jurisdiction | |
| Size | 1,004 square miles (2,600 km2) |
| Population | 1,066,113 |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Orlando, Florida |
| Agency executive | |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
TheOrange County Sheriff's Office is the chieflaw enforcement agency forOrange County, Florida. 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.
The first sheriff of Orange County dates from the earliest days of Florida's statehood in 1845. On January 31, 1845, the area known asMosquito County inTerritorial 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.[1]
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 theBarber–Mizell feud to Reconstruction politics to a lawman simply attempting to do his additional duty of levying fines and collecting taxes.[citation needed]
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.[2][3]
In 2004, state senatorGary Siplin stated that the OCSO routinely used deadly force against unarmedAfrican Americans.[4]
Together with theOrlando Police Department, the OCSO responded to the 2016Orlando nightclub shooting.[5]
The order of rank for the agency is as follows:[6]
Sworn ranks
| Sheriff of Orange County | |
|---|---|
Seal of the Orange County Sheriff | |
.jpg) | |
| Style |
|
| Type | Sheriff |
| Nominator | Direct election |
| Term length | 4 years; renewable |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Florida |
| Website | Official website |
List of Orange County sheriffs:
Municipalities and communities ofOrange County, Florida,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs |
| |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
28°33′06″N81°24′43″W / 28.5517°N 81.4120°W /28.5517; -81.4120
