Deputy Chief Steven Martingano
Deputy Chief Steven Martingano
Steve Martingano began his law enforcement career in 1992 as an intern with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Police Cadet Corp while attending St. John’s University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He entered the NYPD Police Academy in August 1993, graduated, and was assigned to the Patrol Division in the 104th Precinct located in Queens, New York.
In December 1996, Martingano relocated to Colorado and was a lateral transfer to the Arvada Police Department where he served seven years in the Patrol Division. In 2004, Martingano transferred to the Denver Police Department, he was assigned to three different Districts and the Denver International Airport. There he spent 11 years, was assigned to the Street Crimes Arrest Team (SCAT) and then promoted to Corporal. While working for Denver Police Department, he also worked 10 years, in a secondary employment capacity, for RTD and started the first plain clothes light rail team to mitigate fare evasion.
In 2015, he was hired by the RTD Transit Police Division as a Transit Police Commander, and in 2017, earned a promotion to the position of Deputy Chief of Police. Under his leadership he has implemented a variety of innovative community-based programs. Martingano started the first mental health co-responder unit in public transportation, which has been recognized nationally as a model to assist those in need. This program then developed to adjust to the changing needs of the community and added a homeless outreach unit. Recently, in partnership with local colleges, he started a Police Cadet program to hire college students that want to enter a career in law enforcement to receive credits toward their degree.
To better serve employees, customers and the community, Deputy Chief Martingano implemented sector policing for the RTD Police Department to distribute resources within the over 2,300 square miles that formulates the RTD District. In creating and analyzing the police budget, Martingano has been able to expand the police department from 5 officers in 2015 to over 80 police officers in 2024, and with an anticipated growth to over 130 by end of 2025. This expansion has produced the creation of units related to emergency management, crime data analysist, hiring and retention, investigations, professional standards, evidence, and property divisions. Deputy Chief Martingano’s achievements at RTD have made him a leading expert in policing public transportation. He is recognized as a subject matter expert in assisting the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). For APTA, he has conducted several agency peer reviews related to transit security models and has been on many panels at national transportation conferences.
Currently, he oversees the Administrative Operations and Support Division, which consists of the two Police Communications Centers, Training and Professional Development, Video Investigations Division, Integrated Security Systems Unit, Fare Enforcement and Suspension Program, Internal Affairs Bureau, Property and Records Division, Mental Health Clinician, and Homeless Outreach Coordination Program.
Deputy Chief Martingano is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 287, Rocky Mountain FBI Command College, RTD Leadership Academy, FBI-LEEDA Trilogy course, Minetta Institute for Leadership and has earned a certificate from Denver University in Leadership in Public Safety. To further his leadership skills in policing and to stay up to date with current public safety education, he is enrolled in the University of Virginia and will receive a master’s degree in public safety in Spring of 2025.