Oviedo Police welcome new officer Maurasse Belony in swearing-in ceremony

Maurasse Belony joined the Oviedo Police Department in a ceremony that turned a routine hire into a public sign of how the city is staffing its streets. Police Chief Dale Coleman swore him in at Oviedo City Council Chambers, and Belony was pinned by his wife as family, command staff, city staff and fellow officers looked on.

For Oviedo, one new officer matters because the department serves a city of about 41,934 residents spread across roughly 16 square miles in eastern Seminole County. The city has made a habit of holding officer swearings-in in public, and recent ceremonies in 2023, 2024 and 2025 show the department presenting new hires as part of its community-facing work rather than back-office staffing. That approach fits a department that says its mission is to enhance quality of life through commitment, professionalism and partnership with the community.

Belony’s path gives the ceremony a stronger local edge. He was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, moved to Central Florida in 2025, is serving in the military and completed the police academy before joining Oviedo. He said he wanted to become an officer since elementary school, when a career-day encounter with a police officer shaped his decision to pursue public service. His wife pinned him during the ceremony, and the couple is expecting a baby girl, adding a family milestone to the department’s latest addition.

Coleman brought long institutional experience to the moment. The city says he started with Oviedo Police in 1986 and has worked as a patrol officer, school resource officer, patrol sergeant, investigative sergeant, investigative lieutenant and in internal affairs. His presence at the swearing-in tied Belony’s arrival to a department led by someone who has spent decades inside the same agency.

Oviedo has also leaned heavily on youth outreach and community engagement, which matters in a city where the U.S. Census Bureau says 16.1% of residents are veterans. Belony’s military service and his move into local policing fit a department that presents public safety as both enforcement and relationship-building. In a growing city, each officer added to the roster is another measure of whether Oviedo can keep pace with the needs of the neighborhoods it serves.