Colorado detectives hired for new investigative unit at RTD, focused on wire theft and assaults

To keep safety number one on our public transit system across the Denver metro area, the Regional Transportation District has hired four detectives for its new investigation unit.

These detectives will be in charge of crimes that are considered bigger than their police force. This includes thefts, trespassing, fraud and forgery, public peace and order crimes, offenses involving communications, firearms and weapons violations, and controlled substance offenses.

The investigative unit launched on Oct. 15. These detectives will work undercover in their new property evidence room. The detectives will work alongside seven district attorneys and police and fire departments across 40 cities and eight counties.  

While the detectives investigate in-house, RTD's officers will still patrol around and on transit. There are currently 96 officers. The goal is to have 120 by the end of 2025. The department has funds allocated to hire 149. 

RTD Transit Police Steve Martingano says crimes like wire theft need to be investigated by detectives. 

"For the city, it might only cost them a couple of hundred dollars, so it's not really a big felony for them, but for us, it impacts our operations, and we have to do a bus bridge," Martingano said. "That impacts our operations. We want to make sure that we are front in center and trying to solve those issues."

Martingano says even as their officers patrol the transit and detectives investigate crimes, riders should still say something if they see something. Reports will be handled on their Transit Watch app. This will keep you anonymous.