(MARCH 5, 2024) -- After celebrating 30 years with Cherokee County, Chief Marshal Jamie Gianfala announced his plans to retire March 15.
Public Services Agency Director Dana Martin will become the chief marshal overseeing the Public Services Agency, and Marshal’s Office Capt. Dwayne Casteel will be promoted to deputy chief marshal overseeing day-to-day operations of the Marshal’s Office.
Gianfala began his career with the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office in 1993 working in the Adult Detention Center.
He worked his way up the ranks, serving with Uniform Patrol, the Traffic Enforcement Unit, Narcotics Squad and Criminal Investigations. He served as commander of the Sex Offender Unit, VIPER Unit, Crimes Against Children Unit and Crimes Against Persons Unit for six years. In 2014, Gianfala joined the Marshal’s Office as the deputy chief marshal and was promoted to Chief Marshal in 2020.
“Having served Cherokee County for 30 years, I have been fortunate to witness its growth and contribute to its success. I am grateful for the opportunities and experiences that have shaped my professional journey,” Gianfala said. “As I transition into this new chapter of my life, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Board of Commissioners, County Manager and Director Martin and the team of county professionals I’ve worked with over the years.”
Leading the Marshal’s Office, Gianfala played an integral role in putting a focus on stopping animal cruelty by not only thoroughly investigating and presenting cases for prosecution, but also through education. The Marshal’s Office recently started a K-9 program with a goal of teaching children and adults how to properly care for and interact with animals. He also led the way for the creation of a specialized unit to combat litter on the county’s roadways and led by example by enrolling the Marshal’s Office in Keep Cherokee Beautiful’s Adopt-a-Mile program.
“Chief Gianfala leads with compassion and commitment in doing all he can for those around him. He can be counted on to get the job done and is always giving of his time and energy in service to this county,” Martin said.
Gianfala hopes to spend more time with his wife, children and grandson.
Marshal’s Office to reorganize
Following Chief Gianfala’s retirement, the Marshal’s Office structure will undergo a reorganization to enhance enforcement efforts countywide. The Public Services Agency director position is being eliminated with the role and duties being assumed by the chief marshal, and two new positions are being created to add two deputy marshals with no increase to the department’s budget.
One deputy marshal will be assigned to the Code Enforcement Unit and one will be assigned to the Truck Compliance Unit.
The Truck Compliance Unit is the newest unit with the Marshal’s Office that focuses on truck traffic across the county to ensure loads are covered and trucks stay on marked truck routes.
The mission of the unit is to decrease traffic crashes and incidents related to debris coming from trucks not properly covered and to help minimize litter on Cherokee County’s roadways.
While the unit’s main focus are heavily traveled areas like I-575, as it grows, the deputy marshals assigned to the unit will be able to expand to other areas of the county.
With the elimination of the Public Services Agency director position, Martin will step into the role as chief marshal overseeing the Marshal’s Office, E 9-1-1, Emergency Management, Animal Shelter, Probation Services and Radio Technology. Her role remains as it is as director – only the job title is changing. Martin is a P.O.S.T. certified law enforcement officer with nearly 30 years of experience. Prior to coming to the Marshal’s Office in October 2020, she served 23 years with the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office.
“I am grateful to lead such an important group of people who spend their careers serving the wonderful citizens of this county. Each of the Public Services Agency departments directly contribute their important part in improving our citizens quality of life,” Martin said. “All of these departments are fully staffed with an incredible team of professional public servants who are accomplishing goals focused on making this county better every day. We are proud of the work that we do and the positive impact we believe we can make.”
Casteel, currently a captain with the Marshal’s Office, will assume the role of deputy chief marshal and manage the Marshal’s Office daily operations.
“Deputy Chief Casteel’s 23 years of experience at the Marshal’s Office working in both the Animal Control and Code Enforcement units has prepared him to lead the day-to-day operations of the Marshal’s Office,” Martin said. “He is a well-respected leader in this department and is incredibly knowledgeable on all aspects of this position. He has been instrumental in planning and implementing many of our current initiatives, and I am looking forward to all he will continue to accomplish with this incredible team of public safety professionals.”
Casteel is a lifelong resident of Cherokee County who started his career in January 2000 as an animal specialist with the Cherokee Animal Shelter. He accepted a position as an animal control officer and was the first-ever agency employee to earn National Animal Control Association certification, Chemical Immobilization certification, Field Training Officer certification and Animal Cruelty Investigator certification. He served as the supervisor in the Animal Control Unit and became Georgia P.O.S.T certified in 2004 and began his career as a deputy marshal. He has earned numerous certifications in Emergency Management, Crisis Intervention, Commercial Truck Enforcement, Supervision, and Management. He’s also a certified State Accreditation Manager and Assessor through the Georgia Chiefs of Police Association. Casteel is a graduate of Columbus State University Professional Management Program and The University of Georgia Management Development Program.
