Headline Surfer photo illustration / Osceola County Sheriff's Major Jacob M. Ruiz is shown in uniform and from his younger days in the US Marine Corps.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
KISSIMMEE, FLA. -- A biblical verse that Osceola County Sheriff's Major Jacob Ruiz cites as a motto he lives by comes from 1 Corinthians 15:33: "Bad company corrupts good character."
"Do not be misled," Ruiz explained of one of the myriad reasons people get into trouble. "Surround yourself only with those who truly love you and add value to you and others."
Oddly enough, Ruiz learned the value of camaraderie and respect in the Marine Coeps. From there, his career path in policing - more than 20 years now - became his true calling.
Hailing from Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Ruiz began his law enforcement career in 1999 with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department in Springfield, Mass.
Major Ruiz later relocated to South Florida where he worked for the Broward Sheriff’s Office as a detention deputy, then as a cop with the Lauderhill Police Department.
In 2003, Ruiz moved to Central Florida where he began his career with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
Ruiz has worked as a deputy in patrol, as a school resource officer, a persons crimes detective and has served as a SWAT team operator since 2008. Major Ruiz rose to the rank of sergeant in 2012 and lieutenant in 2015.
In 2017 Sheriff Russell Gibson promoted Ruiz to the rank of captain. and later as major. He was promoted later that year to oversee the OCSO's Administrative Services Bureau, and has since been elevated to the rank of major. Gibson, who is seeking re-election this year, oversees 800 employees, 459 of which are sworn personnel.
As such, the sheriff sees Ruiz as a valued administrator and a key to the overall success of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office. Among the most valued aspects of Ruiz in the agency is his dedication to the OCSO and the citizens it serves, as well as his personnel character with respect to his family.
"I am so very proud of Major Jacob Ruiz and all of his many accomplishments, both professionally and as a father to his children," Gibson told Headline Surfer in a private social media inquiry. "Jacob is one of the people I count on the most at our office and he is one of the main reasons we are as successful as we are with our mission, and that is to always be “CommUNITY Strong!"
In 2017 Sheriff Russell Gibson promoted Ruiz to the rank of captain. and later as major. He was promoted later that year to oversee the OCSO's Administrative Services Bureau, and has since been elevated to the rank of major. Gibson, who is seeking re-election this year, oversees 800 employees, 459 of which are sworn personnel. As such, the sheriff sees Ruiz as a valued administrator and a key to the overall success of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.
Among the most valued aspects of Ruiz in the agency is his dedication to the OCSO and the citizens it serves, as well as his personnel character with respect to his family.
"I am so very proud of Major Jacob Ruiz and all of his many accomplishments, both professionally and as a father to his children," Gibson told Headline Surfer in a private social media inquiry. "Jacob is one of the people I count on the most at our office and he is one of the main reasons we are as successful as we are with our mission, and that is to always be “CommUNITY Strong!"
Ruiz holds degrees in Homeland Security and History and is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute’s Command Officers Development Course.
Major Ruiz is an active member of the Osceola Hispanic Business Council and sits on the board of the Osceola Boys and Girls Club.
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Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than a hundred journalism industry awards in print & online -- more than than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories.