- March 4, 2025
Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre announced today that he has appointed Lt. Steve Cole to commander of the agency’s Investigative Services Division.
“Commander Cole is a veteran law enforcement officer who has built his career in Flagler County,” Manfre said. “He has shown his commitment to this community and he is extremely qualified for this
post.”
Commander Cole has been with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office since May 1994. He began his career as a road patrol deputy. During his tenure with the Sheriff's Office, he has served in nearly every division of the agency.
He is now the only member of the Sheriff's Office to hold a top-secret clearance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
While serving in the Investigative Services Division, Commander Cole headed up two long-term racketeering investigations that included the dismantling of a local “Blood” street gang and a career criminal burglary ring.
He was recognized for his work by the State Attorney’s Office and the Office of Statewide Prosecution.
These racketeering cases are the only such investigations that the Sheriff's Office has conducted in its history. He has been a member of the Florida Gang Investigators Association for more than seven years and has been qualified by the courts as an expert in the area of criminal street gangs.
After working as a road patrol deputy, Cole was assigned as a school resource officer from 1999 to 2001. From there, he entered the Investigative Services Division as a detective, where he worked on investigations of criminal street gangs, crimes against children, homicides, thefts and larcenies. As a corporal, he oversaw the investigation division for two years, from 2005 to 2007.
In 2007, he was promoted to sergeant while directing the investigations division. In November 2011, he
was promoted to Lieutenant and served as a watch commander for the Road Patrol Division until
January 2013, when he was assigned to the investigations division and appointed supervisor of the
School Resource Division and Special Victims Section.
