Inland Empire, Calif — Deputy Stephanie Martinez is a first-generation Mexican American whose parents migrated from Mexico. At a young age, she had a love for music and athletics. At the age of 8 she took an interest in singing and guitar.  Later she learned violin, preforming throughout high school and playing Mariachi with local groups in Imperial Valley.  “My mother kept me busy, I grew up in a small town, El Centro.  There wasn’t a lot to do, so I sang and I play the guitar, and violin, after college I went professional,” adds Martinez.

She learned all the strict routines in cheer and learned the discipline of the sport. After only one year of varsity, Deputy Martinez became the cheer captain her junior year by putting together routines for competitions. As cheer a spotter, to a flyer, to even a base for stunts, she even picked up her flyers on her own on two-man stunts. Deputy Martinez continued varsity cheer as a senior year in high school and continued to lead the team as cheerleading captain.  “When I was in cheer, I was always one of the shortest, but I was always one of the loudest people there,” said Martinez. 

Deputy Martinez’s team performed for loud crowds and competed nationally. After graduating high school, Deputy Martinez decided to move away from home and attended the University of California Riverside and began her studies emphasizing in Sociology and Law and Society. During her college years, Deputy Martinez was invited to perform and participate with an all-female Grammy award winning group called the Mariachi Divas. The musical group consisted of multicultural women who played string, brass, and vocals. Within two years of her involvement in the folk ensemble, Deputy Martinez recorded multiple albums and was nominated and won an American Grammy 2011.

Deputy Martinez continued to challenge herself with being physically fit and musically active. Deputy Martinez decided to apply for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and in 2019 became the first female Deputy in her family. Deputy Martinez is proud to be a Riverside County Deputy Sheriff, and continues to push herself past her limits, and looks forward to being out on patrol soon.  “I think its passion with a positive attitude, and loving what I do, and putting one-hundred percent effort in everything that I do (with law enforcement),” says Martinez.

You could hear the joy in Deputy Martinez voice when she began to talk family.  “My mom and my sister are everything to me.  They are the most important women that I have around me,” says Martinez.  The sky is the limit, and we are happy to have our first Grammy Award winning officer, as our #IEHeroes

Thank you for your service, Deputy Martinez!