Episode 75 Gooding Police Department Detective Neill Martin

Years of Service: 2019-Present

Neill began his career in law enforcement in 2019 as a reserve detention deputy in the Jerome County Jail. He was then hired full-time as a detention deputy for the Gooding County Jail. As Neill explains, the jail helped him learn how to talk to people who were going through difficult times.

In October of 2021, Niell was hired as a police officer for the Gooding Police Department. As a new officer, Neill handled typical patrol calls including traffic, domestic violence, and theft.

In 2023, as a result of staffing shortages, Neill was thrown into the deep end and was promoted to detective where he began investigating crimes such as sexual assault, child abuse, drug trafficking, and homicide.

In May of 2023, Neill was assigned his first homicide investigation. During this interview, Neill offers a candid assessment of what it is like to be a young detective, the steep learning curve, and relying on older more experienced detectives to help him with investigations.

Timecodes/Chapters
0:00 - Intro
0:40 - How old are you and how big is your department?
02:19 - What type of crimes do you investigate?
03:05 - Background and family life
07:58 - My brothers are in law enforcement
11:23 - I worked at a crisis center
13:17 - I started applying for jobs when I was 19
14:41 - I started working in the jail
16:14 - How did working in the jail help you when you became an officer?
19:11 - I try to be as respectful as I can with victims and suspects
20:48 - Do you notice a difference in work ethic with your generation?
22:43 - Funny story from the jail
24:11 - When you start as an officer having the discussion about potentially having to take another person's life
25:47 - Is there a goal for your career?
28:48 - My first solo shift
30:00 - Who do you rely on for advice?
33:13 - Where did your communication skills come from?
34:47 - Is there worry about working with your brothers who are also in law enforcement in the same community?
39:17 - How long before you were promoted to detective?
42:46 - I like working on children's cases
47:19 - Do you think the children's cases would be harder to work if you had your own kids?
48:08 - One of the first cases I worked on as a detective
50:31 - My first homicide investigation
1:00:50 - Where did you get help/advice from?
1:01:48 - Has law enforcement affected your family?
1:04:38 - Has being in law enforcement affected the way you see people and society?