35-year department veteran selected to replace Broussard, agency says
Last week, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries promoted Lt. Col. Sammy Martin to colonel — the highest-ranking position in its enforcement division.
The 57-year-old from Chauvin, with 35 years of experience as an agent, is taking over for the recently retired Joseph “Joey” Broussard.
Martin has received numerous awards during his career, including LDWF’s Outstanding Agent of the Year in 1992, three meritorious service awards and the Chief’s Award in 2014.
“As I have risen through the ranks, I have been fortunate to perform a multitude of duties. I have patrolled the Gulf and inshore waters for commercial and recreational violations, performed search and rescue missions following hurricanes, checked hunters in the field, worked side by side with some of the best men and women in law enforcement, became a captain of a region, worked administrative positions at headquarters and now finally as colonel in charge of the entire division,” Martin said in a press release. “These experiences have given me a well-rounded perspective on what it means to be an enforcement agent and how I can effectively lead these agents as their colonel.”
Martin graduated from the Louisiana POST Training Academy in 1982. As a field agent for 15 years, he mainly patrolled Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, including Grand Isle. In 1997 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant to serve as the district supervisor. Achieving the rank of captain in 2004, Martin was tasked with managing the Region 6 office in Thibodaux, which encompassed St. James, St John, Assumption, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.
Martin was promoted to the rank of major in 2009 and assigned to LDWF headquarters, overseeing four of the enforcement division’s eight regions. In 2014 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assumed numerous responsibilities, including overseeing the enforcement division’s boating safety program and serving as the state’s boating law administrator.
