Martin County Sheriff's Office

Captain John Wardle

The Directed Operations Division is a diverse combination of specialty units within the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. There are eighty-three full time and thirty-one part-time positions in the five sections in this division, which include Operations Section (Aviation, K-9, and Marine), Community Policing/Community Programs/Animal Control, Traffic, School Resource, and Special Investigations Section. These sections are under the exceptional leadership of Lieutenants George Dempsey, Wes Starling, Forrest Yingling, Morgan Sprott, and William Curry. Captain John Wardle is the commander of this unique group of dedicated and hard working employees. Vital to the operation of the division is the support staff which includes Michelle Holcomb, Laurie Weber, Barbara Fresneda, and Becka Proscia.

Whether by land, sea, air or bicycle, these dynamic law enforcement professionals tackle the problems that require prolonged or specific attention. They are committed in their problem solving efforts and their community involvement.