SAN ANTONIO — Law enforcement from across the state will gather Tuesday to honor the loss of one of their own.
Funeral services are scheduled Tuesday for San Antonio ISD Police Detective Cliff Martinez.
Martinez was killed a few days before Christmas while working an off-duty job.
His father, Albert Martinez, remembers his son and his lifetime devotion to law enforcement.
“Clifton was a wonderful man,” said Albert Martinez. “Through the ages, he just continued to progress, and seemed to like law enforcement.”
His father said Martinez joined the Police Explorers program during his senior year of high school and dedicated the rest of his life to serving the public.
“He was well-loved, well-liked, well-respected, and a good man,” said Albert.
Detective Martinez worked as a reserve officer with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office before joining the San Antonio ISD Police Department where he served for close to three decades.
Now, his father only has those memories to hold on to.
“I know that grieving takes time, and it will take some time for me,” said Albert. “This should not have happened to him, and he was just doing his job by protecting the public.”
Martinez was killed on December 21 while working an off-duty security job at the I-HOP off Hot Wells Boulevard.
Authorities said Martinez was assaulted trying to break-up a fight. Police said the two suspects then ran over the detective, reversed, and ran over him again.
Two men were arrested last week and are facing capital murder charges.
On Monday, family and friends joined law enforcement to honor the legacy of Detective Martinez at a viewing at the Porter Loring Mortuary.
San Antonio ISD leaders said Martinez was loved by both students and staff across the district.
“It’s just very difficult, as you can imagine,” said superintendent, Pedro Martinez. “These jobs are hard, officers don’t last in these positions for a very long time. It takes a different type of officer to be in our district, you really have to have a passion for children. It’s a huge loss for us.”
Pedro Martinez said Detective Martinez was a loyal employee and invested in the district.
SAISD has started a scholarship for students who aspire to be in Law Enforcement and start in the Police Explorers program.
“I think what he represented for us, Officer Martinez, was somebody who wanted to make sure that children trust our police officers, and he wanted to make sure that our officers were always being role models for our students. And, so he modeled that himself,” said Pedro Martinez.
The superintendent said they have additional counselors on hand for Martinez’s colleagues in the Police Department and will have counselors on hand for when students return to school on Tuesday.
He said the SAISD police chief will lead a formal ceremony and procession ahead of the funeral service for Martinez on Tuesday.
KENS 5 will live stream the funeral service starting at 10 a.m. on the KENS 5 App, and on kens5.com.
