OCALA, FL (352Today.com) – Ocala Police Department (OPD) Officer Dorangelys Maldonado was honored with a color guard, a line of lit-up vehicles and a welcoming line of fellow officers upon her return from a year-long deployment in the Middle East with the U.S. Army Reserve.
On the morning of Monday, July 13, 2026, OPD vehicles flashed their lights and a throng of friends, peers and supporters gathered along the entrance to OPD headquarters at 402 S. Pine Ave. just outside downtown Ocala as Moldanado arrived in an unmarked police SUV.
Maldonado, who serves with a unit based in Puerto Rico, was deployed to Kuwait in September 2025. She was promoted to the rank of Sergeant during her deployment.
“It made my day,” Maldonado told reporters of her homecoming. “Just the amount of support that I had from the department ever since [the deployment] started, and seeing how many of my colleagues, my troops, sergeants, lieutenants, even the chiefs… They’ve been behind me, supporting me all the way.”
Military service is a family affair for Maldonado, whose grandfather fought in World War II. Now that she’s home, though, she said she was eager to get back to work at the OPD’s Community Policing Bureau.
“My next step is getting back into work here,” she said, “and serving my community here in Ocala.”