Chief Deputy Demps becomes highest-ranking black female officer at OCSO

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - For the first time in its nearly 200 year history, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office promoted a black woman to its highest-ranking position of chief deputy.

Chief Deputy Denise Demps was promoted to the position on January 18. She is part of the leadership team at the sheriff's office, underneath the sheriff and undersheriff, and working alongside another chief deputy.

She said it took hard work, good mentors and a positive attitude to rise through a historically white, male-dominated career.

"My challenge to myself is to make sure I’m not the last," Demps said. "The ceiling’s cracked. Now we need to make sure everybody else gets through the glass."

Chief Deputy Demps said she and her sister’s confidence were built from a young age.

"Be fearless. There’s nothing you can’t do. My great-grandmother, who helped raise me… she kind of instilled that in us."

Demps said she initially wanted to be an attorney, then a paralegal after she graduated from Maynard Evans High School in Orange County. But the military set her course for a law enforcement career.

Chief Deputy Denise Demps Courtesy: OCSO

Demps joined the Army Reserves at 19 years-old and was deployed to Desert Storm, where she worked as combat support military police. The experience led her to explore a law enforcement career.

"I was able to learn a lot. I grew a lot," she said. "When I came back, I didn’t tell anyone that I was applying for the sheriff’s office and I only applied to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office."

She joined the department in 1991 and has worked several assignments over her 29-year career. She spent nearly two years working undercover narcotics, taking drugs off the streets. She also worked in the robbery and child abuse units, and the community relations and professional standards departments.

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Demps said her military career set her up for success within the department.

"When I joined the sheriff’s office it was okay, next challenge, let’s take it on, I’m ready for it." She has never backed down from a challenge. "In the academy, my… defensive tactics partner, was a black male 6’2" and I didn’t want a female partner because I wanted to experience what it was going to be like on the streets."

Chief Deputy Demps is used to being a trailblazer in OSCO. She was the first black woman promoted to major and captain. Demps’s most recent promotion came two days before America’s first black, female vice-president, Kamala Harris, was sworn into office.

She said the timing resonates with her.

"I think young women coming up today will know there’s more options. There’s the ability to do anything."

"Absolutely she is paving the way for minorities to be in leadership roles," Orange County Sheriff John Mina said about Demps. "Great leadership, great experience, great training and background, and you know people genuinely like her. She’s a good person."

Sheriff Mina said diversity in law enforcement has been a struggle going back decades, but he is working towards a department that is more reflective of the community.

"[The] last 2 years, only 44 percent of our hires are Caucasian. So we’ve hired 29 percent African-American, 20 percent Hispanic, six percent Asian."

"The fact that we are progressing in our culture, our communities, in our organizations, companies, I think it says a lot about our organization because we are a reflection of the community," Demps said.

In her new role, Chief Deputy Demps said she has several initiatives she wants to focus on, including curbing juvenile crime and furthering mental health training for deputies.

"I would like to further that for our officers, to be able to have the educational training to recognize when someone is in crisis and divert them to resources versus jail. Juveniles, I think, need more in the community to do. If they’re busy, they’re less likely to get in trouble."

She also wants to continue mentoring female law enforcement officers, potentially expanding the mentorship across other law enforcement agencies. Demps’s sister, Orange County Master Deputy Andrea Demps, is one of her mentees.

"[I’m extremely proud of her.] She just passed the corporal’s test so I’m waiting for her eventually to get promoted to corporal so we can move her up to a leadership position."

After 32 years, Demps is also still serving in the Army Reserves as a Command Sergeant Major. She will celebrate 30 years with the agency later this year.