RTD-Denver names Martingano chief of police

The Regional Transportation District-Denver (RTD) yesterday announced it has selected Steve Martingano as chief of police and emergency service.

Martingano will be sworn in on May 13, according to an RTD press release. He has served as acting chief of police and emergency management since July 2024.

Martingano joined RTD as a commander in 2015 and was promoted to deputy chief in 2017. During his tenure, he   modernized the RTD police deployment-and-response model and created the first mental health co-responder unit in transit policing. Those efforts led him to co-found the National Transportation Vulnerable Populations Working Group.

Under Martingano’s leadership, the RTD has implemented a four-step action plan to increase visibility, customer education, fare enforcement and technology. RTD experienced 50% fewer security-related calls for service in March  than it did in March 2024, RTD officials said.

Martingano began his law enforcement career as a New York City police cadet in 1992.