Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said Tuesday his re-election bid for a second term is off to a “wonderful” start and he is looking forward to being the sheriff for a few more years. Demings, who briefed the media yesterday, on a major take down of 50 persons involved in an internet child sex sting, was responding to a question put to him regarding his re-election chances by West Orlando News Online.
“We are off to a wonderful start and will do a big kick off of the campaign on November 8, and after that head into a fundraiser,” he said. “I am looking forward to next year.”
Demings expressed confidence in his re-election efforts, saying he had done what he was elected to do, making reference to crime reduction in the county.
“I am confident that I have demonstrated to the public that I am a competent professional, a law enforcement executive,” he said. “And the things that the people have elected me to do, we have done. We have been able to force down crime in the community.”
Demings added: “The bad news is, we still have some crime that is going on. But, we are certainly being very vigilant and in that process we are being fiscally responsible, at a time when we do need to step it up and take things to the next level.”
Asked what might be the impact of a recent lawsuit filed by barbers in Pine Hills over raids that rubbed many in the community the wrong way, Demings suggested that some individuals have been motivated by money.
“We have been in litigation and it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to talk about any specific lawsuit,” he said. “…What I know about specific details concerning some of the allegations brought forward recently, I believe that, some individuals are motivated by monetary gain and other things.”
He said a lot of facts of which many people might not be aware, will come out through the judicial process.
“I run this agency with the type of attitude that I want my deputy sheriffs to treat people with dignity and respect. And we are going to continue to do that,” Demings said.
