April 16, 2025

RTD names two finalists in search for Chief of Police and Emergency Management

The two finalists in RTD’s search for the next Chief of Police and Emergency Management are Steven Martingano, RTD’s Acting Chief of Police and Emergency Management, and Jim Cook, Assistant Chief of Police for the Amtrak Police Department.

RTD employees, customers, community groups and the public are invited to an open house-style reception 3:30-5 p.m. tomorrow at Denver Union Station’s Crawford Hotel to engage with both candidates and learn more about their policing philosophy. Visit the webpage below to read about the finalists and the hiring process. Brief presentations each individual will provide before Thursday’s event will be added to this page after the reception.

The 2025 Employee Survey is open through May 16! Click the links below to take the survey online and see a schedule of events supporting the survey.

For National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week, meet our dispatchers: ‘You never know what the day is going to bring’

The energy in RTD’s combined Transit Police Communications Center carried a focused intensity on a recent weekday afternoon. Every few minutes, a new alert sounded in the room: the ring of a telephone. A Transit Watch app notification. The voice of a police officer responding to radio traffic. The noise was constant.

Making sense of all this information – and prioritizing it in service of RTD employees and the public – is a talented team of public safety dispatchers who collectively carry decades of law enforcement, call-taking and dispatching experience. At its heart, they say, the work is simple: gather or disseminate information. But this group knows it to be so much more.

Lone Star showdown: RTD places at International Bus Roadeo

There’s a saying in the Lone Star State that goes something like this: “The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas.” For the team of Bus Operator Jimmy Romero and mechanics Dan Jurik, Ben Carroll and Marcos Carrillo, their stars shone brighter than the Texas sun reflecting off the Colorado River at the 2025 International Bus Roadeo at last week’s American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Mobility Conference in Austin.

20 operators graduate from training in joint ceremony Friday

Last week, 12 bus and eight light rail operators graduated from training at RTD’s headquarters on Blake Street. Congratulations to each of our newest colleagues!

In the first photo, from left to right and starting with the front row, RTD’s newest bus operators are: Francisco Sintas, Silivere Bakomeza, Christopher Cruz and Cheryl Huff; middle row: Sabri Elseedah, Desta Animaw and Alberto Galvan; and in the back row: Bewketu Addis, Hassan El Chazli, Ryan Thompson and Ed McClure. Not pictured is Agbo Raymond Amouzou.

In the second photo, from left to right and starting with the front row, RTD’s newest light rail operators are: Alex Zelaya, Sheldon Bennett and Fernando Ibarra; and in the back row: Marcus Lumpkin, Levi Graham, David Jenkins, Matt Rea and Emy Merrifield.

Welcome to RTD's newest employees

Thirty new employees joined the agency and seven employees transferred to salaried positions at Monday’s orientation. Welcome aboard to all of our new colleagues!

Every day across the Denver metro area, RTD employees are making lives better through connections. The agency is proud to spotlight our exceptional workforce who go above and beyond in their roles and embody RTD’s core values. Join us in celebrating colleagues who personify the values of passion, respect, diversity, trustworthiness, collaboration and ownership.

Bus operator commended for professionalism managing packed bus

I would like to commend our driver, Christina Molina, for her professionalism and personality. We took the SKIP to the Hands Off rally, and the bus was standing room only by the time we reached downtown.

> Read more <

FlexRide operator waits patiently for customer who forgot pickup time

I would like to compliment the FlexRide driver I had for Green Mountain, Denis Graf. This driver showed up right as I was busy with something else, and I did not know at the time.

> Read more <

Susan Altes

Senior Manager, Real Property (31 years)



Kirk Osborn

General Repair Certified Mechanic (25 years) 

ADA Office will be visiting divisions starting May 1

The Civil Rights Division’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Office will be hosting open house events throughout the agency May 1-July 1. Customer-facing employees will be able to share their ADA-related questions, concerns and complaints with the team. Click the link below to view a schedule of dates, times and locations. 

Learn how to make your next career move at RTD

Join Senior Talent Acquisition Partner Rachel Sileo at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow on Microsoft Teams as she shares guidance about optimizing resumes and cover letters for job openings within RTD, provides best practices on presenting oneself for an interview, and gives tips for ensuring an interview is successful. Click the link below to join the session.

Empower Retirement to host division visits, webinars

Join Empower Retirement for a webinar noon-1 p.m. April 22 to learn how to properly budget and save early for retirement. Key takeaways from the webinar will include:

• Benefits of having a budget
• How to create a budget
• Starting an emergency fund
• Improving financial health by setting goals
• Making paying off debt a priority

Additionally, Empower Retirement’s Jaleel Awini will visit East Metro and Elati on April 23 to chat with employees about their retirement. He will be at East Metro in the operator lounge from 3 to 5 a.m. and then in the operator lounge at Elati from 5:30 to 8:30 a.m. 

RTD Solicitations

RTD has a number of solicitations currently underway or planned for the near future. To view and download current solicitations, see upcoming opportunities, and review pending and awarded contracts, follow the links below.

Debra's Quote of the Week

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

– Mary Anne Radmacher

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