John Martin
b. 1963
John Martin was born at Fort Gordon, Georgia, on November 16, 1963, but grew up in various cities and towns across Texas, including Copperas Cove (Fort Hood/Killeen Base), Dallas, Canton, LaMarque and El Paso. He was in the first graduating class of J. M. Hanks High School (Ysleta School District - El Paso). Upon graduation, Martin enlisted in the United States Air Force (USAF) and served in the USAF Security Police at Andersen AFB, Guam and Keesler AFB, Mississippi.
Martin joined the Texas Department of Public Safety in 1986 and served as a Highway Patrol Trooper in the Beaumont and Port Arthur area. In 1996, he was promoted to Texas Ranger and assigned to Company D in San Antonio. Martin was a founding member of the Texas Ranger Unsolved Crime Investigation Team and was the first active Texas Ranger to attain qualification as a Criminal Behavioral Analyst (Criminal Profiler) through the International Criminal Investigative Analysis Fellowship (ICIAF).
Throughout the remainder of his career, he provided a behavioral perspective in support of numerous violent crime investigations and prosecutions.
In 2004, Martin attended Session VIII of the National Forensic Academy (NFA), a program of the University of Tennessee. The NFA is an intensive 10-week training program in advanced forensic investigative techniques, including post mortem research at the University of Tennessee's Anthropological Research Facility, better known as the "Body Farm". The Rangers continue to attend the NFA due to Martin's pioneering efforts.
After graduation from the NFA, Martin was instrumental in the establishment of the Texas Ranger Crime Scene Investigations Working Group, which developed an advanced crime scene investigation training program for the Texas Rangers. His knowledge, tenacity, and dedication contributed to the evolution of a world-class crime scene investigation program that the Texas Rangers maintain today.
Martin retired from the Texas Rangers in 2007 and currently serves as the Vice President of Corporate Security for Trinity Industries, Inc. of Dallas.
Inducted during the 2023 Bicentennial year.