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Armando Martinez
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Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL)
February 11, 2007
New Bunnell police chief ready to hit the streets
Author: DEREK L. KINNER - STAFF WRITER
BUNNELL - The last case Armando Martinez worked as a captain with the Miami Police
Department resulted in the seizure of 9 tons of cocaine.
Now, as Bunnell's new police chief, Martinez, 47, is in a position that will let him see firsthand
the other end of the cocaine highway.
He says the cocaine he helped confiscate in Miami one day would have wound up on the streets
of small cities and towns like Bunnell, being sold in powder form or as crack.
"I didn't pick Bunnell because of the money," Martinez said recently. "I picked Bunnell because
it's a small town, and it's where I wanted to be."
Bunnell officials picked Martinez, who will make $60,000 a year, largely because of that
enthusiasm, City Manager Richard Diamond said.
"I think that's good," Diamond said. "I think his idea is to get the community policing itself and
to get involved with the neighborhoods. He's already made contact with the business owners, and
he's already put together an advisory board.
"I think they're all good programs."
City officials say the Police Department has suffered from a lack of organization and morale for
several years. After former Chief Bill Davis resigned, interim Chief Mike Ignasiak was hired to
fill the spot temporarily. Ignasiak managed to get better training for officers, upgraded
equipment and uniforms, and reached out to the community and other law enforcement agencies
for help in fighting crime.
There still is a lot to do, officials said, and Martinez says he's up for the task.
"This will not happen overnight," the new chief said. "I do want to praise the City Commission
and city manager for giving us full support in what we've got to do."
Martinez, who spent 25 years with the Miami department, rising through the ranks from a police
officer to captain, retired this year.
"Usually, after you retire, you decide what else you want to do with your life," he said.
Going into a small community was the answer Martinez came up with.
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