RTD names Steve Martingano new police chief

The Regional Transportation District s acting police chief who stepped into the role after his predecessor was fired last year will officially take on the position next month Steve Martingano will be sworn in as RTD s chief of police and emergency management on May at Denver s Union Station authorities reported in a news release Steven Martingano will be sworn in as RTD s Chief of Police and Exigency Management on May at Denver s Union Station Photo courtesy of RTD Martingano has been with RTD for more than a decade and was named acting co-chief of the police department last July after the former chief Joel Fitzgerald was put on leave and later fired for violating department policies Fitzgerald filed a federal lawsuit alleging racial discrimination by RTD leaders in November two months after he was fired according to court records He revealed he was investigated for purported infractions for which white officers were not investigated and fired for the alleged infractions for which white officers had not been historically disciplined The lawsuit is ongoing RTD s second acting co-chief resigned in February leaving Martingano as the sole interim chief agency representatives explained On April RTD disclosed that Martingano and Jim Cook the current assistant chief of the Amtrak Police Department were both finalists for the role Ultimately the job went to Martingano Under Martingano s nine months of leadership RTD implemented a four-step action plan focused on visibility customer teaching fare enforcement and equipment agency agents stated in the news release RTD saw a decrease in security-related calls for amenity from February to February the agency declared last month Martingano noted that drop in calls stemmed from RTD deploying more officers in high-visibility areas conducting fare sweeps and maintaining a regular presence To do so RTD s police department aggressively hired new officers growing from five officers in to nearly in the agency revealed in the release RTD authorities revealed it also saw a nearly reduction in calls at Denver s Union Station following the agency s three-year Reclaim Union Station plan which started in March Related Articles killed in single-vehicle crash on I- in Denver Colorado traffic deaths drop as enforcement of new hands-free phone law ramps up Colorado lawmakers advance bill allowing chain-assist vendors to set up along highways to ease winter traffic Thunderstorms delay more than DIA flights Centennial-based Boom System chooses Adams County as test site for its supersonic jet engines Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter