Jose Cartagena - A Life in Balance

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is my friend and former RPD co-worker, Jose Cartegna. Jose was a Richmond Police officer for seven years and the last few of those years served as a detective in the Youth and Family Services Unit of the Major Crimes Division. Jose and I talk about how he came to Richmond from Connecticut to be a Richmond police officer, his time in Patrol, and the cases that he investigated while he was a detective. Jose was also on the Crowd Management Team during 2020 and talks about how it affected his decision to leave the department and embark on a new career.  As many of you know, I was a Youth and Family Crimes detective for two years before I transitioned to the Homicide Unit, so I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for these overworked and under-appreciated detectives. The horrors that they see on a daily basis, a truly daily basis, is nearly overwhelming. And unlike homicides and shootings, which ebb and flow, crimes against children are constant. Add to that stress having to work on the Crowd Management Team during 2020 and its a wonder there are any detectives left to investigate these cases. Jose made the right choice to get out of police work and achieve his life-work balance, and many other police officers are doing the same thing. Despite what the media, politicians and entertainers say, police officers are a valiant and courageous group of people who do a hard, necessary and many times thankless job. That being said, I’d like to thank the majority of people who do support the police, even though this majority seldom get heard in any mainstream arena.I’d also like to thank Jose for coming on the podcast and wish him the best of luck in his new career. Check out his company's website:http://www.theriveragroupva.comAnd you can call him directly:(860) 912-3003Take care of one another and thanks for listening.