Undersheriff Mark Canty has deep roots in Orange County. He grew up in Pine Hills and after graduating from Northwestern University in 1994, Canty came home to Orlando, where working in a residential group home for the Urban League made him realize that a career in law enforcement was his calling.
He was driven by a desire to make a bigger impact in his community and beyond, by making connections with young people before they were in trouble.
That led him to the Orlando Police Department, where, over his 22-year career, Canty rose through the ranks, and was appointed Deputy Chief in 2017.
Throughout his career, Canty’s devotion to improved community/police relations in his hometown has been his driving ideal.
Canty’s hallmark is leadership by example, and that leadership was most in the spotlight in June 2016, when a gunman killed 49 people and injured scores more in an act of terror and hate at Pulse nightclub. As Commander of OPD’s SWAT team, Canty directed team members while they rescued survivors and helped ensure no more innocent people were killed.
Over the years, Canty’s community involvement strides have been just as important as those he’s made in crime fighting.
The Office of the Undersheriff provides direct managerial oversight over the Operational Services Bureau, Administrative Services Bureau, Professional Standards Section, Fiscal Management, Criminal Intelligence, Research and Development, Information Technology, and the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation.
Undersheriff Canty has the vision, skill and desire to further the excellence of this nationally accredited law enforcement agency.