Officer Michael Wall

Michael Patrick Wall, 29, comes to the Village after spending four years in the U.S. Navy, where he was a radar operator on a destroyer based in Charleston, followed by several years as a corrections officer with sheriff's departments in Pensacola and Tampa.

"I didn't really have a direction when I got out of the service," he said. "Then I went into corrections and I was a corrections officer for almost four years."

Wall says he decided to pursue a career in law enforcement and attended a crossover academy in St. Petersburg to gain certification to become a police officer.

"Now, I have a dual certification," he said. "One in corrections and one in law enforcement, which means I can work in a jail or on the street. I figured I'd try the streets, since I've been in the jails for quite awhile and that's not the most exciting place to be."

Wall, a bachelor, was born in Homestead at Dillon Air Force Base and lived his early years in South Florida, graduating South Dade Senior High School in 1988, where he played three years of varsity basketball.

Wall's family is marked with a history of law enforcement figures. His grandfather, Jerry Wall, was a policeman in Boston, while his uncle, Pinecrest resident John Condon, is a lieutenant with the Coral Gables Police Department. Wall's father, John, was chief of police for the city of Homestead in the mid-1980s and he says his long-range goal is to follow in his father's footsteps and work his way up to become a police chief.

Wall, who assumed his post with the Village in early January, says he is quite happy to be working in Pinecrest.

"It's a beautiful place," he said. "Trees everywhere; I'm used to seeing bars, not trees. But, I like it, so far."

Wall says he plans to return to college and complete the six credits he needs for his two-year degree, then possibly enroll in Florida International University. When he's not working, Wall says he enjoys shooting a game of pool, water skiing, boating, going to the movies or simply relaxing at the beach.