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Profile: Jesse Martinez

Jesse Martinez
Jesse Martinez
 

Jesse Martinez works the evening shift as wrecker truck driver in the Fleet Division of the Houston Police Department.

He and his co-workers keep Houston's police cars rolling and disabled and abandoned cars off the street.

“I really love this job. I love the freedom of driving, getting out andseeing the city. When you get sent out on a call, it can be towing, fixing a flat, replacing a battery. You never know what’s it gonna be.”

But Martinez's brand of roadside assistance goes way beyond what is offered by AAA or ON-Star. "We have to tow cars filled with garbage, cars that have been set on fire —
I even picked up a car that'd had a dead body in the back seat for five months. It was some drug deal gone bad I heard. It really did not smell good."

Martinez began working with the city in August 2006. He makes $11.75 an hour.