By Ashley Quadros, Public Information Officer
For Sergeant Justin Martin, a career in law enforcement was always his calling. He had known since high school that one day he would be a peace officer. His law enforcement career began in 1999 as a police officer with the Oroville Police Department and in 2004, he transferred to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and became a sheriff’s deputy.
“Coming to Nevada County was an easy choice for our family,” he said. “We used to come to Nevada County on my days off to visit family and knew right away this was the community my wife and I wanted to raise our family.”
For the last twenty years, he’s proudly served Nevada County, handling everything from minor calls for service to some of the most complex cases.
“Shortly after clearing field training officer, a female suffering from mental illness barricaded herself inside of her trailer and set it on fire,” he recalled. “Three of us responded to the scene, made entry into the burning trailer, found the female, and carried her out. She survived the incident.”
That call, like many for Sergeant Martin, left a desire to do more to help his community. He became a member of the Sheriff’s Critical Incident Negotiations Team (CINT). The team is comprised of specially trained hostage and crisis negotiators who are prepared to diffuse highly volatile situations, including barricaded subjects, hostage situations, and persons who are in crisis and suicidal. Using a combination of special tactics and negotiation techniques, the goal of CINT is to resolve a situation with hostages rescued safely, to keep law enforcement personnel uninjured, and to take the suspect(s) safely into custody. Sergeant Martin’s training has resulted in several lives saved.
“Years ago, there was a vehicle pursuit that started in the Sacramento area. The pursuit came into Nevada County and ended on Interstate 80,” he recalled. “The subject barricaded himself in his car with a firearm and his family. Our hostage negotiation team was activated, and I was assigned as the negotiator. I negotiated with the subject for over seven hours, convinced him to release his family, and eventually he came out of the vehicle. I later went to the facility where he was housed (incarcerated) and talked with him. He thanked me for saving his life that night.”
This past week, Sergeant Martin was also part of the CINT for a Lake of the Pines incident where a peaceful resolution was reached with a barricaded subject. These types of situations come up sporadically, but Sergeant Martin is always ready to lend a helping hand. His actions have resulted in several accolades through the years, including a Bronze Star for his life-saving response in the trailer fire incident, a Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award, a commendation letter from the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Officer of the Year for Butte County.
When he’s not in uniform, Sergeant Martin enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and hitting the fishing scene at local lakes.
“After 25 years of service, I wouldn’t change my career. Having people in the community come up to me that I dealt with while working narcotics and thank me for helping them change their life is priceless.”
The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Sergeant Martin for his 25 years of service and for his dedication to public service and safety.
