After working 90 cases a year, from homicide cases to armed robbery, a Charleston Police Department officer chose to move on to new aspects of criminal justice.

James Blagg, a former detective for the CPD, retired at 50 after 30 years of working on the force as of Oct. 10.

Blagg said with his pension maxed out; he knew it was his time to move on to different things.

He said his leaving the department was bittersweet.

“I have been there for a long time, and I knew this day was coming,” Blagg said. “It came quicker than you would ever expect it to. It is kind of hard to believe I worked over there for 30 years.”

Starting off as a patrolman Oct. 11, 1984, Blagg worked the night shift for five years. He said starting out, even though he had lived in Charleston his entire life, he did not anticipate the amount of things that can happen at night, especially with the university embedded in the town.

“It was a shock to see 3,000 people running around at 1 in the morning,” Blagg said.

He then moved on to the day shift where he served as a field-training officer and mentored new officers into the career.

After 17 years as a patrolman, he then spent the remaining 13 years working homicide, robbery, and even petty crime.

Despite leaving the job, some of the cases such as one where 2-year-old Holden Jones was murdered still stick with him today. While it was gratifying getting an admission out of Jamie Thomasson, who was convicted and sentenced to 70 years in prison, working cases like this one was difficult, Blagg said.

It was especially difficult at the time, because his child was around that age. He said despite personal feelings, he knew he had to keep calm in order to hopefully get a confession and not have to rely on physical evidence.

“You don’t want to mess up the case,” he said.

Blagg learned from this case and many others throughout his time in the department.

“It was one of the roughest cases that really changed my life,” Blagg said. “It makes you realize the evil that is out there. I am here to make it better for the parents and to have justice served for those that committed these crimes.”

Blagg started his new job Oct. 16 as an adult probation officer working in the Coles County Courthouse House Probation Office. He was always interested in every aspect of the criminal justice system. As a police officer, he handled the point of arrest to the point of convection, and now as a probation officer, he is now able to pick up from the point of conviction. He said he wanted to help those on probation to making the right choices.

“I just wanted to work the full circle,” Blagg said.

Even though he is not in the department, Blagg said he still continues and will continues to keep in contact with the close friends he made on the force.

Jarad Jarmon can be reached at 581-2812 or jsjarmon@eiu.edu