Great Charles “Chief” Ings

Late Mr. Charles “Chief” Ings | Rock Lake / Spring Lake Manor

Fast Facts:
Education: Jones High School, Class of 1953
Family: Married Mrs. Pearl Ings in 1982; proud father of 6 children
Milestones: 6th Black officer of the Orlando Police Department (OPD); was first to be assigned a white partner (1968) and detective (1969)
Retirement: Retired as an OPD legend and Deputy Chief

The story of Mr. Charles “Chief” Ings is a beautiful testament to love, service and the trailblazing history of the West Lakes community. Known as an Orlando “native son,” Chief came from humble beginnings and eventually became one of Orlando Police Department’s first Black police officers and a local law enforcement legend. Through the warm reflections of his wife, Mrs. Pearl Ings, we catch a glimpse of a man of deep faith who loved his family and broke racial barriers to help reshape Orlando for the better.

“I love the man that he was. He was a wonderful man. He knew the community. He was a gentleman, which was important to him,” said Pearl Ings.

Early Life

Charles grew up on Conley Street, just off Orange Blossom Trail and Carter Street, alongside five brothers and one sister. His father worked as a laborer, while his mother, well-known in the community as Mother Ings, served as a devoted Christian minister. Together with her sons, Mother Ings helped build Zion Temple Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God on Ivey Lane. The church became the foundation of Charles’s lifelong faith, and he remained a member until his passing in 2019.

Education and Influences 

Charles graduated from the great Jones High School in 1953. His early years were deeply influenced by his mother’s spiritual guidance and local neighborhood mentors. His wife, Pearl, shared that his proudest accomplishment was giving his life to God. Between the 1950s and early 1960s, Charles poured back into his community by coaching youth at Carter Street Park and eventually co-creating a recreational tennis league with his good friend Bill Harris, a remarkable achievement at the time.

His early career began at the Holiday Inn on West Colonial Drive, where Charles worked as a talented cook, bringing those culinary skills home to family and friends through delicious meals. After dating for two years, Charles and Pearl married in 1982 in the backyard of the Rock Lake home they chose together, a house that carried a rich piece of neighborhood history. They both fell in love with the home while searching the area. The house had been custom-built by Doc Moses, a beloved local pharmacist at the West Colonial Rexall drugstore, where community members regularly gathered at the long lunch counter. The newlyweds purchased the home directly from Moses and went on to raise their six children within those walls.

During our sit-down with Pearl Ings, she lovingly shared that she rarely had to cook because her late husband famously prepared the family’s holiday turkey for 37 consecutive years.

Career and Service

Charles officially entered law enforcement during a turbulent era of strict segregation, joining the Orlando Police Department as only its sixth Black officer. At the time, Black officers could patrol only Black neighborhoods and were restricted from arresting white individuals. Segregation policies also prevented Black officers from working alongside white officers. Through it all, Charles pressed forward with excellence and an unwavering smile, refusing to let prejudice define him. In 1965, he became the first Black officer assigned to a white partner, Captain Charlie Edwards, and by 1968 he had gained a permanent white partner. In 1969, Charles made history again when he became OPD’s first Black criminal investigator.

“You would never know what he was going through because he always had a great smile,” said Mrs. Pearl Ings. “He pressed his way through and built a great career.”

Community Impact
His deep roots in the neighborhood significantly shaped how he approached police work. He practiced what he called “gentle policing,” carrying out his duties with care and treating the community like family. While he could be firm, he was also compassionate. When local youth found themselves in trouble, he often chose to visit with their families and offer guidance rather than immediately escalate the situation. He earned a reputation as a true gentleman, inspiring younger generations of Black officers to seek his mentorship.

Ings maintained an open-door approach to mentoring, and his home often became a gathering place where young officers sought guidance on both professional and personal matters. Through that mentorship, he directly influenced future leaders who would continue breaking barriers, including former Orlando Police Department Chief and State Representative Val Demings and former Orlando Police Department Chief and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. Both proudly came up under Ings’ wing before he concluded his historic career as Deputy Chief.

Legacy

By the end of his distinguished career, Charles retired from OPD as an honorary Deputy Chief in 1991. His years on the force were marked not only by solving complex crimes but also by building trust within the community. His son, Sam, remembers the family phone constantly ringing with calls from local residents offering direct leads related to robberies, shootings and homicides. The willingness of community members to share information reflected the relationships and trust Charles had spent decades building.

Even after retiring from the police department, Ings’ commitment to public service continued through his work as an investigator for State Attorney Lawson Lamar, helping ensure defendants appeared for their court hearings. His lifelong connection to the Orlando Police Department came full circle in 2017 when he visited the new South Street headquarters and proudly shared his brown badge with a new generation of homicide detectives. The group marveled at how different the department's uniforms once looked, including a time when they were not the familiar blue worn today.

Ings’ community-oriented spirit inspired his son to build his own 30-year career with the Orlando Police Department before being elected Orlando City Commissioner in 2006. Today, Mrs. Pearl still resides in their Rock Lake home, looking out at the backyard bench where they were married in 1982. She hopes the community will remember the immense sacrifices made by trailblazers like Ings and the doors they opened for future generations.

His legacy is one of faith, gentle strength and barrier-breaking leadership. His life remains an enduring blueprint for the West Lakes community.