Val Demings

Valdez Venita Demings (née Butler; born March 12, 1957) is an American politician and former police officer serving as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 10th congressional district since 2017. From 2007 to 2011, she was Chief of the Orlando Police Department, the first woman to lead the department, capping a 27-year career with the department.

Val Demings
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 10th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded byDaniel Webster
Chief of the Orlando Police Department
In office
December 16, 2007 – June 1, 2011
Preceded byMichael McCoy
Succeeded byPaul Rooney
Personal details
Born
Valdez Venita Butler

(1957-03-12) March 12, 1957
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
(
m. 1988)
Children3
EducationFlorida State University (BS)
Webster University Orlando (MPA)
WebsiteHouse website

Demings was the Democratic nominee to represent Florida's 10th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives in both 2012 and 2016. She lost the general election in 2012 to Republican incumbent Daniel Webster but won in 2016 after the State Supreme Court mandated the creation of a new, majority-minority Democratic district in Orlando.[1] On January 15, 2020, Speaker Nancy Pelosi selected Demings to serve as an impeachment manager in the Senate trial of President Donald Trump.[2]

Early life and career

Valdez Venita Butler was born on March 12, 1957,[3] one of seven children born to a poor family; her father worked as a janitor, while her mother was a maid. They lived in Mandarin, a neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida. She attended segregated schools in the 1960s, graduating from Wolfson High School in the 1970s.[4]

Demings became interested in a career in law enforcement after serving in the "school patrol" at Dupont Junior High School. She attended Florida State University, graduating with a degree in criminology in 1979.[4] After graduating from college, Demings worked as a state social worker in Jacksonville for 18 months.[4]

In 1996, Demings earned a master’s degree in public administration at Webster University Orlando.[5][6]

Law enforcement career

In 1983, Demings applied for a job with the Orlando Police Department (OPD); her first assignment was on patrol on Orlando's west side.[4] Demings was appointed as Chief of the Orlando Police Department in 2007, becoming the first woman to lead the department.[7][8]

During her tenure from 2007 to 2011, Demings oversaw a 40% decrease in violent crime. [9]

According to a 2015 article in The Atlantic, the Orlando Police Department "has a long record of excessive-force allegations, and a lack of transparency on the subject, dating back at least as far as Demings's time as chief."[10] A 2008 Orlando Weekly exposé described the Orlando Police Department as "a place where rogue cops operate with impunity, and there's nothing anybody who finds himself at the wrong end of their short fuse can do about it."[11] Demings responded with an op-ed in the Orlando Sentinel, arguing that "Looking for a negative story in a police department is like looking for a prayer at church" and added that "It won't take long to find one." In the same op-ed, she cast doubt on video evidence that conflicts with officers' statements in excessive force cases, writing, "a few seconds (even of video) rarely capture the entire set of circumstances."[10]

In 2009, she had her firearm, a Sig Sauer P226R, stolen from her department vehicle while parked at her home; she was issued a written censure. The firearm has not been recovered. [12]

In 2010, an Orlando police officer flipped 84-year-old Daniel Daley over his shoulder after the man became belligerent, throwing him to the ground and breaking a vertebra in his neck.[13] Daley alleged excessive force and filed a lawsuit. The police department cleared the officer as "justified" in using a "hard take down" to arrest Daley, concluding he used the technique correctly even though he and the other officer made conflicting statements. Demings said "the officer performed the technique within department guidelines" but also said that her department had "begun the process of reviewing the use of force policy and will make appropriate modifications." A federal jury ruled in Daley's favor and awarded him $880,000 in damages.[10][14][15][16][17]

Demings retired from her position as chief of OPD effective June 1, 2011, after serving with the OPD for 27 years.[18][19][10]

Political career

Demings was the Democratic Party nominee for the United States House of Representatives in Florida's 10th congressional district in the 2012 elections.[20] She faced freshman Republican Daniel Webster in a district that had been made slightly more Republican than its predecessor in 2010. Demings narrowly lost, taking 48 percent of the vote to Webster's 51 percent.[21]

Democrats attempted to recruit Demings to run against Webster again in 2014.[22] She decided to run for Mayor of Orange County, Florida, against Teresa Jacobs, instead.[23] She dropped out of the mayoral race on May 20, 2014.[24]

Demings ran again for the 10th district seat after a court-ordered redistricting made the 10th significantly more Democratic ahead of the 2016 elections.[25] She won the Democratic Party nomination on August 30[26] and won the general election in November with 65% of the vote.[27][28] She is the third Democrat to win this Orlando-based district since its creation in 1973 (it was numbered as the 5th from 1973 to 1993, the 8th from 1993 to 2013, and has been the 10th since 2013).

In her 2018 reelection campaign, Demings was unopposed for a second term.[29]

On May 21, 2020, Demings confirmed she was on "the shortlist" to be Joe Biden's vice presidential nominee for the 2020 presidential election. She said she would accept the role if offered.[30] But some critics, including Black Lives Matter activists, attacked her record as Orlando police chief.[31][32] However, Kamala Harris was officially announced as Biden's running mate on August 11, 2020.

U.S. House of Representatives

Tenure
Demings with Congressional Black Caucus women

Demings was sworn in as the representative for Florida's 10th Congressional District on January 3, 2017. She is a member of the New Democrat Coalition[33] and the Congressional Black Caucus.[34]

On December 18, 2019, Demings voted for both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.[35] She was selected as one of seven impeachment managers who presented the impeachment case against Trump during his trial before the United States Senate.[36]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Political positions

Abortion

Demings received a 100% voting score from NARAL Pro-Choice America for 2017, 2018, and 2019.[39] She received a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood Action Fund for 2020.[40] She has an F rating from the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List.[41]

Civil liberties

Demings received a 70% rating from the American Civil Liberties Union for the 115th Congress.[42]

Gun policy

Demings has stated that she seeks to keep firearms out of the hands of "people who seek to do harm," saying that the gun control legislation that she supports "isn’t about taking guns away from responsible, law-abiding people."[43] She supported the Gun Violence Restraining Order Act of 2017, which would have provided a lawful method of temporarily confiscating firearms from people deemed to be a threat to themselves or others. Of the Act, Demings said, "We must do what we can to make sure law enforcement has the tools it needs to more effectively perform the ever more challenging job of keeping us a safe nation. The Gun Violence Restraining Order Act is a major step to doing just that."[44] After the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018, Demings opposed arming teachers, saying such legislation was "ridiculous"[45] and "only shift the responsibility from lawmakers to others. It shifts the pain, the hurt, and the guilt to school staff who will find themselves out skilled and outgunned in active shooter situations."[44]

Demings has an "F" rating from the NRA.[46] She has accused the NRA of "hijacking" conversations after mass shootings to make them about the Second Amendment.[47]

Healthcare

Demings supports and has vowed to defend the Affordable Care Act.[48]

In June 2019 Demings released a congressional report on insulin prices, criticizing manufacturers for raising prices well beyond manufacturing costs and said it was "inexcusable that American families are dying for the sake of corporate profit."[49]

Personal life

Her husband, Jerry Demings, is the former Orange County Sheriff and current mayor of Orange County, Florida.[19] He served as the Chief of the OPD, the first African American to do so, from 1999 to 2002.[4][6] The two met while on patrol in the OPD; they married in 1988 and have three children.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Florida U.S. House 10th District Results: Val Demings Wins". The New York Times. New York City: New York Times Company. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  2. DeBonis, Mike (January 15, 2020). "Schiff, Nadler lead group of House managers to prosecute Trump in Senate impeachment trial". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C.: Nash Holdings. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  3. "Guide to the New Congress" (PDF). Roll Call. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  4. Leusner, Jim (December 16, 2007). "Val Demings takes over as Orlando's police chief Monday". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida: Tribune Publishing Company. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  5. "Valerie Demings". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  6. "Married cops to head next-door agencies – US news – Life | NBC News". NBC News. January 25, 2009. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  7. Writer, Mark Schlueb, Sentinel Staff. "OPD MILESTONE". OrlandoSentinel.com.
  8. "Val Demings' retirement opinion: Orlando Police Chief Val Demings is retiring". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida: Tribune Publishing. May 5, 2011. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  9. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-val-demings-profile-biden-running-mate-20200605-zmgqqhgpxrbcbhws4l22b66uaa-story.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. Fitzpatrick, Jack (September 8, 2015). "Orlando Police Complaints in the Spotlight as African-American Ex-Chief Runs for Congress". The Atlantic. Boston, Massachusetts: Emerson Collective. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  11. Billman, Jeffrey C. (July 10, 2008). "MIGHT MAKES RIGHT". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  12. Writer, Walter Pacheco, Sentinel Staff. "Demings censured for not properly securing gun". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  13. "Orlando Policeman Breaks 84-Year-Old's Neck". allgov.com. September 24, 2010.
  14. "Orlando police officer found liable in excessive force trial". Click Orlando. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  15. Hernandez, Arelis (September 22, 2010). "Confrontation with Orlando cop leaves 84-year-old vet with broken neck, son says". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida: Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  16. "Cop Who Broke Elderly Man's Neck Cleared". WFTV 9. October 15, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  17. Palm, Anika Myers; Pacheco, Walter (October 15, 2010). "OPD Chief Val Demings: Takedown move that broke elderly man's neck 'within department guidelines'". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  18. Schlueb, Mark (May 3, 2011). "Val Demings retiring, Deputy Chief Paul Rooney is new Orlando police chief". The Orlando Sentinel.
  19. Schlueb, Mark (May 3, 2011). "Orlando Police Chief Val Demings retiring: Orlando Police Chief Val Demings is retiring". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida: Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  20. Green, Merissa (October 1, 2012). "Rep. Daniel Webster Challenged By Val Demings, Ex-Chief of Police". The Ledger. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  21. Schlueb, Mark (November 6, 2012). "Dan Webster beats Val Demings, wins second term". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida: Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  22. Damron, David (October 7, 2013). "Demings still undecided on next political move". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida: Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  23. Powers, Scott (January 7, 2014). "Val Demings takes on Teresa Jacobs for Orange County Mayor". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida: Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  24. "Val Demings drops out of Orange County mayoral race". mynews13.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  25. Powers, Scott (August 17, 2015). "Val Demings to run for Congress". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on August 18, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  26. "Val Demings wins Democratic primary for US House District 10: Former Orlando police chief to face off against Thuy Lowe in November". clickorlando.com. August 30, 2016. Archived from the original on September 1, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  27. Comas, Martin E. (November 8, 2016). "Political newcomer Murphy pulls stunner, unseats Mica; Demings defeats Lowe". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida: Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  28. "Florida U.S. House 10th District Results: Val Demings Wins". The New York Times. New York City: New York Times Company. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  29. "House elections 2018: Uncontested races - Washington Post". Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  30. "Demings Says She's on Biden's Shortlist". Political Wire. May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  31. "Former cop Demings faces progressive pushback in veepstakes". The Hill. June 19, 2020.
  32. "Criminal Justice Backgrounds of Kamala Harris, Val Demings Come Into Question As Joe Biden Shortlists Them For VP". Newsweek. June 15, 2020.
  33. "Caucus Members". Congressional New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  34. "Membership". Congressional Black Caucus. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  35. Panetta, Grace (December 18, 2019). "WHIP COUNT: Here's which members of the House voted for and against impeaching Trump". Business Insider. New York City: Springer.
  36. Wilkie, Christina (January 15, 2020). "Pelosi taps Schiff, Nadler and 5 others as Trump impeachment managers". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  37. "Members". New Democrat Coalition. newdemocratcoalition.house.gov. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  38. "Members". New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  39. "Val Demings (D) Score". NARAL Pro-Choice. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  40. "2020 Congressional Scorecard". Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  41. "Nationsl anti-scorecard- Val Demings". Susan B Anthony LIst. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  42. "LEGISLATIVE SCORECARD Scorecard forVal Butler Demings". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  43. Demings, Val (June 12, 2017). "A year after Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting, we're going backward on guns". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  44. Powers, Scott (February 16, 2018). "Val Demings pushes bill to seek gun restraining orders on people deemed dangerous". Florida Politics. Peter Schorsch. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  45. Bennett, John T. (February 21, 2018). "Shooting Survivors, Victims' Families Tell Trump Emotional Stories". Roll Call. CQ Roll Call. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  46. Berlow, Alan (May 1, 2013). "Gun lobby's money and power still holds sway over Congress". The Center for Public Integrity. The Center for Public Integrity. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  47. Yanes, Nadeen (February 16, 2018). "What have Florida's politicians done to change gun laws?". News 6. Orlando, Florida. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  48. Gillespie, Ryan. "Val Demings vows to defend Affordable Care Act at Sunday town hall". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  49. Powers, Scott (February 26, 2017). "Val Demings issues report on insulin: 'It is inexcusable'". Florida Politics. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Daniel Webster		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 10th congressional district
2017–present		 Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Charlie Crist		 United States Representatives by seniority
298th		 Succeeded by
Neal Dunn
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