ORLANDO, Fla. — Patrolling the streets of Orange County for more than a decade, Master Deputy Andrea Demps has a passion for combatting crime. Recently business owners in the Pine Hills community have credited her with helping to reduce crime in blighted areas.
- Master Deputy Andrea Demps helping reduce crime in Pine Hills
- Business owners in Pine Hills call her a visionary and hero
- Demps says she owes a lot of her success to her mom and sister
It’s often said home is where the heart is, and that rings true for visionary and Pine Hills native Master Deputy Andrea Demps.
The Evans High School graduate has deep ties to the Orlando community and fond memories growing up in Pine Hills with her older sister and role model, who happens to be a “Major” within the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
“We both went to the same schools together, so we have always been tight-knit, even when we were growing up, we were always out in the neighborhood playing sports and riding our bikes,” Demps said.
With her sister’s encouragement, Demps began a career with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office as a corrections officer. She soon became a deputy and after nearly 20 years she now serves as part of OCSO's special Community Policing Unit in Pine Hills.
Reporter Curtis McCloud asked Demps, “Why do you feel the need to be invested in your community?”
She replied, “Because I don’t like the stigma that Pine Hills gets, the whole stigma of 'Crime Hills.'”
Demps is one of 247 women in law enforcement at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported in 2018 a little over 12 percent of law enforcement employees were female while about 87 percent were men.
“As a black female, (people) are like, 'But you have nails on, you have lashes on.' I’m like, 'I’m still a woman, I just wear this uniform,'” Demps said.
Demps says she wears that uniform proudly, working daily to change history and erase the reputation of crime in Pine Hills. Recently, Deputy Demps launched an effort to reduce crime at two problem areas in Pine Hills is The first, Super Coin Laundromat at the intersection Pine Hills and Silver Star Roads.
“We had people just hanging out I’m like this is not… what is going on here? So like I say as I was coming, I’m not going anywhere... in the end I’m going to win,” Demps said.
To win, Demps first stepped up patrols in the area near the laundromat. She also helped facilitate the installation of a live security camera feed on-site, giving deputies eyes on crime in and around the property through an app on their cell phone.
“One night we were across town and we were talking about the camera, and I was showing the guys, and we see a guy sitting right here just rolling up his marijuana... and we came right over and we made the arrest,” Demps shared.
Demps is proof that not all heroes wear capes -- some wear badges.
“I don’t consider myself a hero," she said. "I’m proud every day I put on this uniform. I love the fact if I can make a change or help somebody, then I’ve done something."
The second area where Demps helps combat crime is located at the intersection of Columbia Street and Bruton Boulevard. She implemented the same camera security technique, which helped significantly reduce crime in that area.