Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer Announces New Police Chief
Last updated on October 11, 2018
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer Announces New Police Chief
October 11, 2018 – ORLANDO, FL – Today, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced the appointment of Orlando Rolon, a 25-year Orlando Police Department veteran, as the next Police Chief of the City of Orlando. Rolon will serve as the city’s 39th Police Chief and will succeed current Chief John Mina, who is retiring after nearly 28 years of service to the citizens of Orlando.
“I am confident that under Chief Rolon’s dedicated leadership, the Orlando Police Department will continue to work diligently in protecting our community against crime, while implementing best practices, new technologies and national model trainings and initiatives to ensure the department is able to meet the growing needs of our city,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Chief Rolon has grown through the ranks of OPD over the last 25 years and remains committed to ensuring the safety of everyone in our city.”
A 41-year resident of Orlando who was born in Puerto Rico, Rolon will oversee the day-to-day operations of the department and serve as chief counsel to the Mayor in matters of public safety. During his 25-year tenure with the Orlando Police Department, Rolon has worked in or supervised in all four Department Bureaus and nine of the Department’s 11 Divisions. He has served as Commander of the Professional Standards Division, the West Patrol Division, the Traffic Enforcement Section and the Downtown Section. In addition to his regular job assignments, Rolon also served nearly 20 years as part of the Crisis Negotiation Team and was the Team Commander.
In 2016, Rolon served as the agency’s lead for the White House Police Data Initiative, helping make Orlando’s police department the first in Florida to join and increase department transparency. In 2017, Rolon led a team of Orlando Police Officers deployed to Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Irma and Maria to assist with aid and recovery efforts. Most recently, he has served as the Bureau Commander for the Patrol Services Bureau, the largest section of OPD, comprised of 408 sworn and civilian personnel.
Rolon is a graduate of the 263rd Session of the FBI National Academy and has also completed the FBI Florida Executive Development Program. He is a founding member and past president of the Central Florida Chapter of the National Latino Peace Officers Association, an organization dedicated to diversity and equality, and is bilingual, speaking Spanish fluently. Rolon served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves from 1982 to 1986. He is currently working on a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Columbia College.
His appointment will go before the Orlando City Council on October 22, 2018, for confirmation.
Mina’s last day in the office will be on October 26, 2018, and his retirement is effective December 1, 2018. During this interim, Rolon will serve as Acting Chief and assume the position of Chief of Police on December 2, 2018.
Since he became Chief on April 1, 2014, Mina has worked tirelessly to combat crime, strengthen relationships with the community and implement strategies to reduce incidents of force by officers. During his tenure as Chief, he provided steadfast leadership during some of the most difficult challenges in the department’s history from the Pulse tragedy to the line of duty death of Lieutenant Debra Clayton.
“Over the past four years, through the leadership of Chief Mina, our city has continued to see reductions in overall crime year after year,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Chief Mina launched new initiatives aimed at increasing department transparency and furthering our community policing efforts to continue to build trust between officers and residents. He also made officer safety, training and health and well-being a top priority.”
###