APRIL-MAY 2000

BUSINESS EDUCATION, POLICE EXPERIENCE PREPARED THE CHIEF

DEMINGS

By Bayard Stern
Managing editor, Florida State Times

Orlando Police Chief Jerry Demings loves his job. He also hates it at times. February 3 was one of those times. Two Orlando police officers were shot during a traffic stop. One, 29-year-old George DeSalvia, was killed. The other, 28-year-old Edward Diaz, an FSU grad (B.S. '96, hospitality management), took three bullets and survived.

"I don't like speaking at a funeral of a police officer, but it's part of the job," said Demings, at work where the flags flew at half mast and all the officers wore black bands around their badges.

"When anything happens to one of us it's like family. But we still have a job to do and have to keep going."

While at FSU, Demings had no idea he would end up in law enforcement.

"When I first started out at FSU I was a pre-med major and I wanted to go to dental school," he said. "But I went to the dentist's office, and I didn't think that's where I wanted to spend the rest of my life. I changed to finance and accounting because it intrigued me to own my own business."

Demings, now 40, graduated from FSU (B.S. '80, business/finance) and worked as an accountant, traveling much of the time.
"I felt like I was living out of hotel rooms, which gets old real fast," he said.
A recruiter for the Orlando Police Department talked to Demings and "dared" him to take the entrance exam. Demings did, and 19 years later he has risen through the ranks. In December 1998, he became Orlando's first black police chief.

"I started out in uniform working the streets as a patrol officer, just like everyone else starts out here," Demings said.
He comes across as an easy-going man who's easy to talk to and quick to laugh. But there is also a more serious side that can be seen in his experience.

He has done a wide variety of jobs on the force. To list a few, he worked in community relations, the chief's staff, and recruiting. He was a detective and a child abuse investigator. He was promoted to sergeant and went back to the streets as a field supervisor. He went on to become a lieutenant and a watch commander. As a field lieutenant he worked specialized enforcement efforts, such as prostitution and drug details. He ran a patrol division. He covered the specialized units like motorcycles, dogs, horses, boats and auxiliary reserves. He was the commander of the crisis negotiation team. He was deputy chief in charge of communications, special operations and V.I.P. security. He went to the investigative services bureau and was chief of all detectives.

Then he was appointed chief of police by the mayor of Orlando.
His wife, Valdez Butler Demings, also an FSU grad (B.S. '79, criminology), is a captain in the Orlando Police Department. She is currently division commander in charge of police operations at the international airport.

"I think it's hard to say you are going to save the world," she said. "But if you can help one person when they need it, do the best you can every call, one incident at a time, hopefully individuals can make a difference. It's very important to enforce the laws of the land - but officers often have to be counselors, teachers and problem solvers. When people are at their worst moment in life, they pick up the phone and call the police."
She speaks highly of the chief from a professional standpoint as well as a personal one.

"One of Jerry's strongest points is his ability to relate to all types of people from many different backgrounds," she said. "He's a very caring person, but also a person who has the ability to lead and direct and serve as a role model, not only for the youth in the community, but also for the officers who work for him.
I don't think there's any police officer in the department who feels they can not come and talk to him about any issue."
Being the chief is different from the other roles he filled in the department.

"Part of my job is to set the policies in place for the agency and the tone for how we will provide law enforcement service to the Orlando community," he said. "But my job is also to manage, and my business background and ex-perience from FSU have really helped me. We have a $64-million-a-year budget. We have about 900 employees total, and about 655 of them are sworn police officers."
He tries to find time to relax.

"I ride motorcycles and have a piano," he said. "I golf a little bit, play basketball. I also love going to NBA games."
Young people have always been important to Demings. He has three sons. He's on the board of the Boy Scouts of Central Florida, YMCA and Metropolitan Orlando Urban League.
"It's hard being a kid sometimes, and many have to deal with very adult problems all too often," he said.
He has good memories of several professors, including Sandra Rackley and Joe Icerman.

"Dr. Rackley taught speech, and she was great," he said. "She was more like a mother figure. She taught you lessons about life and survival on the college campus. Joe Icerman in the accounting department taught me a lot about business."

Demings also keeps up with FSU football. "I try and go to at least two or three games a year," he said. "I have a picture of Bobby Bowden and myself. He's a down-to-earth guy; he'll talk to everyone."

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