After more than three decades working for the nation’s largest police fleet, Robert Martinez knows a thing or two about managing fleets. He retired from his position as deputy commissioner of support services for the New York City Police Department at the end of 2022.

Talking with Martinez, it’s clear he cares about the officers he placed in the department’s 10,000 vehicles. Vehicles in NYPD’s fleet must meet the mission and must be safe; that’s Martinez’s philosophy. What he won’t tell you, because he doesn’t want to be recognized for it, is that Martinez is responsible for several “firsts” in the industry, thanks to his background in engineering and his tendency to think outside the box.

POLICE’s sister publication Government Fleet had the honor of speaking with Martinez as he reflected on his time managing the fleet for New York’s finest. Here’s what he had to say.

Starting from the Bottom

Martinez could tell you the exact day he started with the NYPD: June 23, 1986. He got his foot in the door with the department as an auto service worker, basically a mechanics’ helper, in his words. It was an entry-level job. After six months, the department moved Martinez up to a provisional mechanic, after watching him succeed at tasks he was given.

After two years on the job, Martinez became a permanent mechanic for the department. That gave him the chance to take the supervisor of mechanics test. When he failed to get a high enough score on that test, Martinez had to wait another five years to test again. This time, he was able to meet the standards and become a civil service employee for the NYPD. After 10 years as a mechanic, Martinez was promoted to a supervisor of mechanics. He then began being appointed to higher positions, eventually earning the title of director of the fleet services division.

Read complete article at Government-Fleet.com 

Christy Grimes is associate editor of Government Fleet.