Commissioner's Corner: Paying a heavy price

Orange County’s law enforcement agencies sometimes pay a heavy price to keep us safe. In less than two months Orange County lost two brave officers in the line of duty. Orange County Deputy Sherriff Jonathan Scott Pine was tragically gunned down on Feb. 11 while chasing a wanted felon through a residential neighborhood in the southwestern part of the county. On March 22, Windermere Police Officer Robert German was slain while investigating two suspicious teenagers.

Both Deputy Pine and Officer German felt called to service in law enforcement. Before his career at the Sherriff’s Office, Deputy Pine had received an MBA and was a successful bank manager. In 2011 he was hired by the Sherriff’s Office, which provided the fulfilling career he was looking for. Deputy Pine is survived by his wife and three children. Officer German was a five-year veteran of the Windermere Police Department. After graduating from college, Officer German worked in airport security. His frequent on-the-job interactions with police inspired him to make a career change. Officer German joined the Windermere Police Department in 2008.

We mourn the loss of Deputy Pine, Officer German, and every other officer who has lost his or her life in the line of duty. They were doing what so many other brave men and women in law enforcement do every day to combat criminals and keep our streets safe. These officers cover a wide variety of duties from traffic enforcement to murder and burglary investigations. The Orange County Sherriff’s Office, for instance, includes many specialized services outside of regular patrol duties ranging from an aviation unit to homeland security to a horseback-mounted patrol. Sherriff’s deputies are also part of the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigations, a multiagency task force that includes personnel from federal, state and local law enforcement organizations that focus on organized crime.

We are committed to doing everything we can to keep our law enforcement officers safe on the job. You can help by promptly reporting crimes in progress to your local law enforcement agency. You can also help by volunteering your time with your local law enforcement agency. Volunteer opportunities include the Citizens On Patrol and citizen observer programs, the reserve deputy program, and the Police Athletic League.

I am grateful for the hard work and dedication of our men and women in law enforcement, and with the rest of the community, mourn the tragic loss of two of our finest. Orange County is blessed to have some of the finest law enforcement officers in the state. As always, my staff and I are available to answer questions you may have about local law enforcement or any other issue affecting Orange County. We can be reached at 407-836-7350 or by email at [email protected].