Val Demings
| Val Demings | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 10th district |
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Assumed office January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Daniel Webster |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Valdez Venita Butler March 12, 1957 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Jerry Demings |
| Children | three |
| Alma mater | Florida State University |
| Occupation | Police officer |
| Website | House website |
Valdez Venita "Val" Demings (née Butler; March 12, 1957) is an American police officer and politician who serves as the member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida's 10th congressional district. She served as Chief of the Orlando Police Department, the first woman to hold the position. She was the Democratic nominee in both 2012 and 2016 to represent Florida's 10th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, the latter of which Demings won.
Valdez Venita Butler was born on March 12, 1957, one of seven children born to a poor family; her father worked in orange groves, while her mother was a housekeeper. They lived in Mandarin, a neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida. She attended segregated schools in the 1960s, graduating from Wolfson High School in the 1970s.
Her desire for a career in law enforcement came when Demings served in the "school patrol" at Dupont Junior High School. She graduated from Samuel W. Wolfson High School, and then attended Florida State University, graduating with a degree in criminology in 1979.
After graduating from college, Demings worked as a social worker in Jacksonville for 18 months. In 1983, she applied for a job with the Orlando Police Department (OPD), and she began with the department on patrol on Orlando's west side.
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Wikipedia