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Armando Martinez
(Note: Articles Appear in Reverse Chronological Order)
Tab 8
Martinez, who said he is proud to be the first Hispanic chief of any Flagler County police
agency, has met with black community leaders, including members of the NAACP, for help
letting black potential applicants know they are welcome in Bunnell.
In contrast, Flagler Beach is almost all-white, and its 16-member police force with no blacks
meets the goal of reflecting local demographics, Free said.
"Our community is a predominantly white community," he said. "We have a few Hispanics. And
I'm sure we have a few blacks. I feel right at the moment we pretty much mirror our
community."
Even so, Free said he would not hesitate to hire a minority officer.
"I would take a black officer in a heartbeat," he said. "Even if I brought two or three, or one
black officer on, I'd still be mirroring the community."
Robert E. Williams, president of the NAACP of Flagler County, said Free is not wrong in his
perception.
"He's right. If you're going to go according to the population, that would be all right," Williams
said.
The 2000 Census put Flagler Beach's black population at just 26 residents, about 0.5 percent of
the approximately 5,000 population.
Elsewhere in the area, however, Williams sees a troubling racial imbalance.
"I would like to see an equal amount of minorities as the population," he said. "In that south side
(of Bunnell) there would be a majority of blacks" on the police department, he said.
No local governmental agency adequately reflects the racial makeup of the community, nor, for
that matter, do many businesses, Williams said.
"So, it's not just the police department; it's every department," he said.
The sheriff's offices in Flagler and Volusia counties are somewhat different from the cities for
two reasons. They serve a more rural area than the city forces and in some cases their coverage
areas have higher proportions of other ethnic groups.
Flagler County Sheriff Donald Fleming said his department tries to have a racially and ethnically
diverse force, including representatives of a growing Portuguese community. The department
also serves Palm Coast, a burgeoning city that estimates its population at 73,000 but still has no
police department of its own.
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