Mayor Dyer's unholy relationship with OPD

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Here are some handy facts you need at your fingertips the next time someone asks why police need to be defunded.

The Orlando Police Department gobbles up 31 percent of the city’s annual budget.



No other department comes close – not even the Orlando Fire Department which only gets 24 percent of the budget, even though firefighters and EMTs save lives every day.

Other city departments – such as recreation and economic development – only get tiny fractions of the budget. To see this year’s Orlando budget, click here.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the cops are very tight. During last year’s election the Fraternal Order of Police not only endorsed Dyer’s re-election to a 5th term, but the police group contributed $1,000 – the maximum allowed – to the campaign.

It’s no surprise that Dyer quickly said he doesn’t plan to consider defunding the police.

The Fraternal Order of Police thanked Dyer and helpfully offered to help “review” the OPD use-of-force policy.

OPD probably has the worst use of force policies in the area. Under that policy, simply walking away from an officer or refusing to answer an officer’s question can result in being pepper-sprayed. They can interpret your refusal to speak as “passive resistance”.

To see the use-of-force policy, click here.

In case you haven’t guessed, OPD has a pretty poor record when it comes to the use of force. For details, click here.

In case you didn’t realize it, Orlando/Orange County is a police state of sorts. Consider this:
·        Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is the former Orange County Sheriff. Before that he was the Orlando Police Chief, selected by Mayor Dyer.
·        Congresswoman Val Demings is the wife of Mayor Demings. Before that she was the Orlando police chief, selected by Mayor Dyer.
·        Orange County Sheriff John Mina was former Orlando police chief, selected by Mayor Dyer.
·        Orlando City Commissioner Tony Ortiz is a former Orlando police officer.






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