Bill Moore Announces ‘True Transparency Initiative’ After Current Sheriff’s Repeated Delays
At the start of his campaign, Bill Moore committed to improving communication, transparency, and technology within the Orange County Sheriff’s Office by developing modern online tools that would allow the public to more easily access and monitor crime-related information.
After personally experiencing delays involving public records requests over the years and witnessing local media reporters repeatedly struggle to obtain timely responses from the Sheriff’s Office, most recently on May 2, 2026, Moore expanded and formally defined his policy vision as the “True Transparency Initiative,” now featured on his campaign website, MOOREFORSHERIFF.COM, and throughout campaign materials.
The True Transparency Initiative is a commitment to creating a culture of accountability, honesty, professionalism, and timely communication throughout the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
“Transparency is not just about releasing information after public pressure builds, nor is it simply having a public records website that leaves the media and the public waiting indefinitely for answers, provides incomplete responses, or fails to address the original public records request,” Moore said and emphasized, “I know, I’ve experienced it firsthand.”
Moore is not satisfied with the agency’s performance and continued to state, “Under my True Transparency Initiative, every member of the Sheriff’s Office will understand that transparency is part of the job and not an inconvenience to avoid.” Going further, “My True Transparency approach is about building an agency-wide expectation that deputies, supervisors, civilian employees, command staff, and public information personnel all work together to provide true, accurate, and timely information to the public we serve.”
Moore’s True Transparency Initiative will focus on:
- Prompt and professional responses to media and public inquiries.
- Establishing measurable response-time standards for communications and public records requests.
- Providing regular updates to requesters when delays occur.
- Managing expectations honestly instead of ignoring questions or going silent.
- Encouraging deputy and employee buy-in toward accountability and professionalism.
- Ensuring information released to the public is factual, accurate, and consistent.
- Improving coordination between the Public Information Office with various agency sections.
- Leveraging technology to improve public access to releasable information.
- Creating systems that document response times and agency follow-through.
Moore addressed potential issues with the apparent under performance of the Public Information Office and stated, “As part of my True Transparency Initiative, I will conduct a top-to-bottom operational analysis of the Public Information Office (PIO) to determine whether the office is properly staffed, properly trained, and properly equipped to handle the volume of requests coming from both the media and the public.”
Moore explained that should he find that the demand for media outlet requests exceeds the current staffing capacity, the Sheriff’s Office will scale up personnel and resources to meet modern transparency expectations. Moore went on to state, “True Transparency cannot exist if the employees responsible for communication are overwhelmed, understaffed, or operating without clear performance standards.”
The True Transparency Initiative will establish measurable performance benchmarks for the Public Information Office, including:
- Average response times to media inquiries.
- Average response times for public records requests.
- Frequency of requester updates during delays.
- Accuracy and consistency of information released.
- Coordination between divisions handling releasable evidence and records.
- Overall requester satisfaction and communication effectiveness.
The initiative also recognizes an important reality: not every request can be fulfilled immediately. Active criminal investigations, legal restrictions, privacy protections, and statutory exemptions sometimes create unavoidable delays. However, silence should never be the default response. Moore pointed out, “A timely response will be required and delays will not be the norm.”
When delays occur, the requester should be informed:
- Why the delay exists.
- What steps are being taken.
- What information can currently be released.
- When they can reasonably expect another update.
“The people of Orange County deserve a Sheriff’s Office that communicates proactively instead of reactively,” said Moore.
The True Transparency Initiative is designed to restore trust by creating a professional culture where accountability is expected, communication is consistent, and transparency is measured not by promises, but by performance.
_____
About Bill Moore
Bill Moore is a retired Orlando Police Department Detective with 21 years of service, a former Task Force Agent with the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, and a FAA-certified sUAS Remote Pilot (drone pilot). He is running for Orange County Sheriff on the theme “Reset the Tone.”
