ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s easy to see the passion the Orlando Police Department’s 2023 Officer of the Year has for serving the community.
Sgt. Donald Lacentra has been with the department for 12 years and was recently presented with the award.
“I was just shocked,” Lacentra said. “It kind of threw me back, it was a great honor.”
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Lacentra said one of his favorite memories working at the department is not only making friendships with his fellow officers, but with the people he has interacted with in the community.
“One of which is a victim which I never thought in a million years would become someone I call a friend,” Lacentra said. “So, this gentleman actually became a victim of the crime. He was shot numerous times in his car. I was one of the first officers on scene and I was just doing my job. Months went down the road and he ended up finding me. I worked off duty at ORMC and he ended up finding me. And from that point on, we’ve just become friends. I told him this and, I don’t think he really realizes this, but he taught me so much on what it means to be a fighter.”
Lacentra said he loves being a police officer in Orlando because there is an abundance of opportunities, and no two days are the same. Despite the challenges, he said it is a job where he can always learn something new.
“I think some of the biggest challenges is realizing we’re humans, we’re not machines, we’re not programed to do anything and that applies to the people that we’re dealing with,” Lacentra said. “I think that’s one of the biggest things that we have to figure out is we’re dealing with humans. How do we solve this problem or how do we help these people? And if you give them a little extra time, could you maybe help them never have that problem again?”
Lacentra was working the night of the Pulse tragedy in 2016. He said it’s hard to put into words what exactly happened that night, but said he remembers jumping into action and doing what he could to help.
“You never thought that was going to happen here,” Lacentra said. “So many innocent people would lose their lives over something like that. We didn’t think about ourselves anymore. We were thinking about everybody that needed us at that particular moment. We just got in our cars and went.”
But police officer isn’t the only uniform Lacentra wears, he’s also a father. He said being a dad to two kids has helped him become a better police officer.
“When it comes to trying to solve problems or address an issue, this is my child,” Lacentra said. “I want my child to be successful and I am thinking outside the box and I’m learning how to address that problem and it’s never the same problem. It’s always something different and I want what’s best for my child. In turn, that’s helped me realize, hey, you know I’m going to show all this love, all this care, and compassion, I want what’s best for you just teaches me how to be a better cop because that’s same way I would want somebody to treat me or my kids if they had to interact with law enforcement.”
When asked if he considers himself a hero, Lacentra said it was a tough question to answer.
“I love this job,” Lacentra said. “I love what I’m doing, and I love being a great role model for my kids and let them know that just go on, just work hard and just do what’s right.”
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