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Armando Martinez
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Tab 8
Going into a small community was the answer Martinez came up with.
He said it makes police work all the more gratifying when he can see the direct results of his
work.
"You see the people it affects - the kids on bicycles, the people at barbecues, the people in the
park. You get to interact with them and you get to see the change," Martinez said.
He has moved from Miami, a department with about 1,100 officers, to Bunnell, one with 15
employees, including two unfilled positions and the chief.
Martinez plans to make some changes quickly, especially in south Bunnell, where drug dealers
and users have openly made transactions on neighborhood streets.
"Custer once said, 'You head to the sound of the cannons.' I'm heading to the sound of the
cannons. That's south Bunnell, but I will not ignore the other areas," Martinez said.
Martinez said his officers will show zero tolerance for drugs, and will arrest anyone who tries to
interfere with the arrests. In the past, officers have complained that when they tried to arrest
someone, family and friends came into the street to harass them.
"We're going to hit them hard, and we're going to hit them quick," Martinez said. "We will not
be intimidated by mob rule. We're going to hold the line. If you come out there, you're going to
jail if you obstruct us."
Martinez, who started Jan. 29, already has numerous other plans for community interaction. He
wants to form bike patrols, get all of his officers trained as crime prevention specialists, and have
officers help people make their homes safer. If the officers see things like open garage doors,
bicycles left lying in yards or car windows rolled down, they will leave cards on the residents'
doors telling them how they can make their property safer.
Martinez also has formed a Police Chief Citizen Advisory Committee consisting of residents
from all parts of town who will meet monthly to discuss the job police are doing and evaluate the
effects.
"We need to win the trust of the community that we serve," Martinez said. "I think the
community had lost their trust in their police department. By holding the line, and being fair,
we're going to regain that trust."
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