Hector Martinez and
The Late Jack Collins
Police Officer and Sergeant, Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey
Sergeant Hector Martinez, formerly a member of the Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey, was assigned to the Youth Services unit responsible for investigating and recovering missing and exploited children at Port Authority. Jack Collins worked as a Port Authority detective and was attached to the Youth Services investigatory unit. In New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal, they uncovered trafficking networks operating out of New York and New Jersey, as well as networks extending across the nation, and found in their work that one recovered child often provided a link to ten or more other children being trafficked by the same exploiter. Numerous federal investigations were instigated as a result of the kids they recovered. Both were later honored with the 2018 NAPO TOP COPS award and other medals for their response to the December 11, 2017 bombing near the terminal.
“The kids we recover are often viewed as throwaways. They’re ignored because they look homeless, or like junkies or prostitutes. No matter what, they’re still children. The bad guys always depend—too often successfully—on society’s indifference.”