In front of hundreds of City residents, Mayor Buddy Dyer swore-in the Orlando Police Department’s new Chief of Police Paul Rooney, with the time-honored tradition of the Change of Command ceremony on Thursday, June 9, 2011. The Change of Command symbolizes the official transfer of authority and responsibility from one Chief of Police to the next. It marks a historic moment in the history of the City of Orlando as Chief Paul Rooney is sworn in as the 37th Police Chief.
“Over the last four years, there has been a dramatic decline in violent crimes in Orlando and keeping our community safe will always be a top priority,” said Mayor Dyer. “With Chief Rooney’s strong background we will continue to target street level crime and work together with residents to keep the City of Orlando a safe place to live, work and raise a family.”
As the newly appointed Police Chief, Rooney will oversee the day-to-day operations of the department and serve as chief counsel to the Mayor on matters of public safety. Under Chief Rooney’s leadership and direction, the Orlando Police Department will continue to incorporate new and innovative crime-fighting strategies and focus on three key areas:
- Engaging the entire community in the fight against domestic violence.
- Working with senior citizens to become involved not only in their own protection, but also of the safety of the entire City.
- Keeping police officers safe with the recent rise in violence against officers while they fight crime and keep the residents and visitors in the City of Orlando safe.
“I am extremely honored to be appointed the 37th Orlando Police Chief by Mayor Dyer and to continue to serve the resident and visitors of the City of Orlando,” said Chief Rooney. “I hope that my goals and visions for the Orlando Police Department take us to the next level with the engagement of our senior citizens, our zero-tolerance for domestic violence and moving towards a mandatory ballistic vest policy to ensure our officers return home safely at the end of their shift.”
Mayor Dyer appointed Paul Rooney as the new Chief of Police of the Orlando Police Department in May of this year. Chief Rooney has been a member of the Orlando Police Department for more than 24 years and has been serving as Deputy Chief for the more than three years. Chief Rooney has spent much of his career overseeing tactical operations aimed at reducing violent crime and taking drugs off the streets.
Since 2007, there has been a drastic reduction in crime, including violent crime overall is down more than 40 percent. Mayor Dyer and Chief Rooney will continue to dedicate all available resources to combating crime. Through Mayor Dyer’s multi-million dollar Public Safety Initiative, the Orlando Police Department has bolstered the number of officers on the streets, added new substations throughout the City and invested in tools, training and technology for the department.
