Orlando Police Chief Resigns
Orlando Police Chief Paul Rooney is resigning as the city's top cop, and Mayor Buddy Dyer appointed Deputy Chief John Mina to the job on Wednesday.
Photo: Facebook
Orlando Police Chief Paul Rooney is resigning as the city's top cop, and Mayor Buddy Dyer appointed Deputy Chief John Mina to the job on Wednesday, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
It's a voluntary exit for Rooney, 49, who spent his entire career at OPD and was generally well-liked among officers and at City Hall. With 28 years on the job, he's leaving with a maxed-out pension to take a job as vice president of safety and security at Valencia College.
Dyer called a news conference at OPD headquarters to announce his appointment of Mina as chief. Mina, 45, is another OPD lifer. The deputy chief, who was recruited to the department 23 years ago as a young 82nd Airborne soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, had a strong message for lawbreakers.
"To the criminal element who preys upon this community, and to the truly evil ones who prey upon our children and the weak, and to the ones who will try to do harm to our police officers, we will hunt you down and bring you to justice," Mina said.
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