DENVER | The new police chief for the Regional Transportation District was sworn in this week and will head up new efforts to keep more than 3,000 employees and customers safe across a service area in eight counties and 40 municipalities.
Steve Martingano is a 30-year law enforcement veteran who joined RTD in 2015 as a commander and was promoted to deputy chief in 2017.
During his time at the agency, he worked to modernize RTD’s police department and response model by introducing sector policing, according to an RTD news release.
Martingano also pioneered the first mental health co-responder unit in transit policing, a program that was later expanded to include outreach coordinators focused on the unhoused population, according to the news release.
“As police chief, my top priority is reducing crime across our transit system. This means taking a proactive, preventive approach — being present, being visible, and being ready,” Martingano said in the news release. “This position is not just a title; it is a calling. It’s a commitment to serve, to protect, and to help restore confidence in the safety and integrity of our public transit system.”
RTD-PD has approximately 100 POST (Peace Officers Standards and Training)-certified officers, with a goal of expanding the department to 150 POST-certified offices by year-end, the news release states.
Martingano was officially sworn in as RTD’s new police chief Tuesday after serving in a deputy role under now former Chief Joel Fitzgerald, who was let go in September 2024.
In November, Fitzgerald filed a lawsuit against RTD, alleging racial discrimination and retaliation, according to Denver7. The lawsuit names Martingano 41 times and includes accusations of discrimination and harassment against Fitzgerald and other Black officers, according to Denver7.
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