ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando police officers may soon be off the job at Orlando International Airport in favor of a law enforcement agency just to handle the busy travel hub.
At Wednesday’s meeting of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, the board voted unanimously to start discussions about transitioning away from using the Orlando Police Department and instead creating an in-house airport police department, according to the meeting agenda.
“For many years, OPD has served MCO with professionalism, dedication, and a steadfast commitment to public safety. Its officers have played a vital role in keeping our airport secure and welcoming, and we are sincerely grateful for their partnership and service,” the agenda item reads.
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The document does not say why the agency is doing this, except that they would build “a law enforcement model tailored specifically to the unique environment of an international airport.”
The document calls for establishing a four-year transition plan to allow for recruiting and training airport officers, developing infrastructure and policies, customer service-focused training, and gradually transitioning OPD’s presence.
Part of the process would also include working with OPD to figure out how much this would cost and how it would work.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings sit on the board.
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Before the vote Wednesday, Mayor Demings advised the other board members that any discussions going forward should include a careful analysis of how to staff a new agency.
“Make certain that for catastrophic incidents and other things...have local agreements with other law enforcement agencies to be able to come in and support you in an emergency situation,” Demings said.
News 6’s Mike Valente asked Dyer if a new agency for the airport would be equipped with the same resources as other municipal police departments.
“That’s the type of thing of thing that we’d need to explore, right?” Dyer said. “We can’t just say, ‘Okay, we’re going to transfer overnight.’ But they’d have to hire an entire police department.”
Angela Starke, a spokesperson for MCO, said the interest in phasing away from OPD is not a reflection on the performance of the department, but rather is tied to the airport’s growth.
“We have found it necessary to look at how do we cover Terminal C, which opened a few years ago,” Starke said. “As well as Terminals A and B. We have other expansion projects that we’re doing, and does it make sense for us —since we operate as a mini city now—we have our own 9-1-1 services, we have our own fire services…does it make sense for us now to look and explore?”
Starke said the airport does not release the number of officers on any detail or duty for the airport, but confirmed that the airport has budgeted $35 million for OPD for fiscal year 2026.
OPD currently handles all law enforcement activity at the airport, both before and after security checkpoints. For instance, News 6 has reported on police crackdowns of illegal parking and unpermitted vehicle-for-hire drivers.
OPD also makes arrests for people bringing illegal items through security or causing disruptions.
Many international airports, however, do have their own police force. Tampa International Airport, for instance, has its own agency with over 140 sworn officers, traffic specialists and support personnel, according to the TPA website.