Ron Martinelli, Ph.D., B.C.F.T, C.F.A., C.L.S.

 

Dr. Ron Martinelli serves as our firm’s chief legal consultant, police practices expert and trial specialist. Dr. Martinelli has an impressive and diverse law enforcement background in police, corrections, probation and private security practices and training. He is an experienced police practices expert certified in Federal and State Courts and is skilled in incident reconstruction, evidence gathering, discovery and forensic legal analysis.

Dr. Martinelli has an excellent track record of successfully representing law enforcement agencies and civilian plaintiff clients during all stages of litigation. He is an articulate legal declaration and briefs author with a unique mixture of significant field experience and academic credentials that judges and juries find impressive.

Recognized and respected by attorneys, judges and his expert witness peers as an impartial and ethical fact finder, Dr. Martinelli has had significant experience representing advocates from civil defense, plaintiff, prosecution and criminal defense positions.

 

Dr. Martinelli has been referred to by leading police practices and civil rights attorneys as "The expert's expert." He currently experts for a number of counties and cities in CA, the states of Nebraska and West Virginia, the City of Denver, CO, various police officer associations, and some of the largest agency defense, civil rights, personal injury and insurance law firms in the nation.

 

Dr. Martinelli's well-rounded and busy forensic expert practice is made up of a variety of police/corrections, criminal, security and insurance cases. He specializes in complex, high-profile cases involving 4th, 8th & 14th Amendment allegation cases, wrongful death, in-custody death, officer-involved shootings and "Suicide-by-Cop (SBC)". His background in forensic psychology provides him with a unique opportunity to investigate and opine on law enforcement cases involving emotionally disturbed people (EDP's) and the psycho-physiology of stressed-induced critical incidents such as officer-involved and civilian self-defense shootings.

 

Dr. Martinelli is adept at assisting attorneys in forming discovery, writing deposition questions and legal briefs, and he is an excellent author of Federal Rule 26 forensic expert reports. His unique law enforcement background, combined with his extensive forensic education and experience, and his ability to synthisize and easily explain complex law enforcement practices to juries makes him a formidable expert in the courtroom.

 

Dr. Martinelli is engaged in on a daily basis in either training law enforcement officers, investigating cases and testifying, or attending or speaking at law enforcement or forensic seminars.

 

 

Dr. Martinelli's caseload is divided between 65% agency/officer defense and 35% court appointments, plaintiff, or criminal cases.

His current success rate in retained cases is approximately 90+% in settlements or jury awards. In the past 8 years alone, Dr. Martinelli's work product has saved law enforcement agencies over $120 Million in damages and has been directly responsible for over $15 million in jury awards and settlements to deserving clients. His work in civilian self-defense shooting criminal cases has been 100% jury acquitals for defendants accused of wrongful death and serious bodily injury.

 

 

Dr. Ron Martinelli, has an excellent list of agency and attorney references representing all legal advocacies.

 

If you are an attorney who is seeking a "real expert" and not a "paid advocate" to review your case and render honest findings and opinions, contact the offices of Martinelli & Associates: Justice & Forensic Consultants, Inc. and Dr. Ron Martinelli.

 

Background of Dr. Ron Martinelli

  • Police Officer Detective with 22 years of diverse patrol and investigative experience
  • Former Director, Criminal Justice Training Center & Police/Corrections Academy
  • Current Director of Martinelli & Associates: Justice & Forensic Consultants, Inc., a 30-year recognized law enforcement training and consulting firm in Temecula, CA 
  • Current Director of "Strategic Training & Consulting, LLC", a law enforcement training and consulting firm based in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Training Consultant to over 300 municipal, state, federal and military agencies since 1978 
  • Nationally recognized and state-certified law enforcement Use of Force instructor since 1980, certified in all levels of force: Arrest & Control Tactics (ACT system developer), Chemical Agents/OC Pepper Spray, TASER - ECD, impact weapons (baton, RCB expandable baton), defensive tactics (Unarmed Defensive Tactics UDT system developer), less lethal munitions, pistol/shotgun
  • Certified Forensic Analyst - Agitated/Excited Delirium & Sudden In-Custody Death - Institute for the Prevention of Sudden In-Custody Death
  • Certified Force Analyst - Force Science Research Center, Minnesota State University 
  • Board Certified in Forensic Traumatology - National Center for Crisis Management, Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress
  • Diplomate Status - Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress
  • Certified Litigation Specialist, Police Practices & Corrections - Americans for Effective Law Enforcement
  • Adjunct Professor of Forensic Science, Masters Program
  • Former Professor of Forensic Psychology, Masters Program
  • Recognized national authority and published author: law enforcement practices, training, liability, force/excessive force, forensic psychology, criminal investigations
  • Specialist, Officer-Involved Shootings & In-Custody Death
  • Special Investigator, City of Riverside (CA), Officer-Involved Shootings & In-Custody Death
  • Specialist, criminal defense cases involving civilian self-defense shootings and traumatic injuries
  • Forensic Analyst & Instructor - Stress-induced Psychology & Physiology
  • Instructor - "Suicide Dynamics and 'Suicide by Cop' " 
  • Developer of "Tactical Negitiation/Conflict Resolution" non-force communication system 
  • Nationally recognized author of texts, numerous training manuals and articles on Use of Force, investiagtions and law enforcement training
  • Retained Criminologist In Residence, History & Discovery television channels