Patrol Bureau

Captain Luis Martinez

As the Patrol Bureau Commander, Captain Martinez is responsible for all uniformed patrol personnel who respond to calls for service and critical incidents, as well as the Department’s canine (K-9) officers, Mental Health Evaluation Team, and the Department’s Partnerships in Policing (PIP) Team.

Maintaining the best emergency response time possible to the Culver City community is the paramount goal of the Patrol Bureau. In working to sustain that high level of service, each patrol shift has officers assigned to each of the City’s five patrol districts, which helps the Culver City Police Department maintain an impressive emergency response time.

Captain Martinez acts as the appointing authority for all personnel under his command and reports directly to the Assistant Chief of Police.

Biography

Luis was born in El Salvador and raised in Los Angeles, graduating from Los Angeles High School in 1998. He has been a member of the Culver City Police Department since 2003. Luis attended and graduated from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Academy, Class #338. During his time as a Police Officer, Luis worked as a Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, Crime Impact Team Detective, Personnel & Training Detective and as an Investigator with the LA IMPACT Narcotics Task Force.

In 2014, Luis was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. As a Sergeant, he worked as a Patrol supervisor. In 2015, he was assigned to the LA IMPACT Narcotics Task Force and oversaw Groups 1 and 25. In 2017, he was selected to be the inaugural Sergeant of the Special Enforcement Team (SET). In 2019, he was selected to oversee the Personnel & Training Section.

Luis was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in September of 2019. As a Lieutenant, Luis served as a Patrol Watch Commander, Traffic Section Lieutenant and in 2021, oversaw the Professional Standards Unit. In this capacity, Luis was responsible for conducting internal administrative investigations of alleged employee misconduct. He was also responsible for the management of Department policy. In January 2023, Luis was promoted to the rank of Captain and currently oversees the Patrol Bureau.

Luis possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Master's degree in Public Administration from National University. He is also nearing completion of a second Master’s degree from the University of San Diego in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership. He has attended numerous professional development programs including the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute Class #424, the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Point Leadership Program, the California Police Chiefs’ Executive Leadership Institute and is currently enrolled in the POST California Command College Class #70.

Luis has been the recipient of several department awards, including the Supervisor of the Year Award, Medal of Valor and the “David Shaby” Career Achievement Award. Luis was a sixteen-year member of our Baker to Vegas Team and has served as Team Captain for over 10 years. In his spare time, Captain Martinez enjoys spending time with his family and is an avid fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, USC Football and the San Francisco 49ers.