Retirement in Dual Law Enforcement Relationships
/Retirement in Dual Law Enforcement Relationships
No one I know is more out in our community as a dual law enforcement couple sharing their story than Cathy and Javier Bustos. I interviewed them several years ago on episode 46 when they were both still working in law enforcement and growing with their company, That Peer Support Couple. They shared their unique lens on being an officer and a spouse to each other. Now they've both retired and I wanted to find out what it has been like for them as officers and spouses in retirement.
Cathy and Javier Bustos talk about what retirement is like in a dual law enforcement relationship.
(04:06): Cathy and Javier Bustos discuss their background and their company, That Peer Support Couple.
(09:01): Cathy’s view on retirement and how she never thought she would be ready for the next stage of her life.
“I'm never going to be ready. It's never going to be time. I loved being a cop. I loved being on patrol and one day I just woke up and I'm like, it's time. It's time.” – Cathy Bustos
(10:22): Javier talks about knowing as a spouse, that it was time for Cathy to retire and how he tried to “plant the retirement seeds” along the way.
(12:49): The passion Cathy had as a counselor mimicked the enthusiasm she had in her early career as an officer. It was time to cultivate that passion and switch careers.
(13:12): Javier discusses his retirement journey and how it started when he was a cadet in 1999.
“I asked the question, how long do you have to be here for a full retirement? They said you have to be here 23 years. I said, start the clock.” - Javier Bustos
(15:32): Javier planned to do his time, and when it was time to go, regardless of what the climate was like, he would still retire.
(15:55): There was no mindset to stay on for extra money because you can never make up for the extra time that you're losing.
(16:51): In retirement, you need to be mentally and physically healthy enough to enjoy time with your family for all the years that you missed out with them doing a job that you love.
“You work all these years to get to the finish line, you need to cross it and not be broken.”-Javier Bustos
(19:06): Cathy and Javier talk about the surprises of retirement.
(21:58): The experiences, grief, and relief as a spouse and officer that come along with retirement.
(23:19): What retirement was like as a dual law enforcement couple.
(29:44): Cathy and Javier share what their business, That Peer Support Couple, is about and how it got started.
“We just wanted to tell our story and give other people the power to tell their story. “ Cathy Bustos
(32:34): The reach from That Peer Support Couple connected Cathy and Javier with Warrior’s Rest Foundation.
(34:20): Over the years, the focus of That Peer Support Couple shifted into fighting for dual first responder couples and keeping them together.
(40:28): Cathy and Javier share their message for dual law enforcement couples on how to get through the stages of retirement.
That Peer Support Couple, Cathy & Javier Bustos are certified in First Responder Peer Support. They are retired police officers with four decades of experience. They both were involved in multiple critical incidents individually and as a married couple. They are both First Responder spouses and parents.
Cathy is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate at Angels on the Horizon - Under Supervision by Mary Ann Bell - LPC-S in Copperas Cove, TX. Currently, she is providing counseling services for Texas First Responders and Veterans.
Cathy and Javier are certified Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Instructors as well as International Critical Incident Stress Foundation instructors. They serve as Peer Support Team members and instructors for Warrior's Rest Foundation. They volunteer at National Police Week in Washington, DC for Concerns of Police Survivors Support Services. They serve as Wellness Support for Survivors of Blue Suicide. They act as Wellness Services for the Texas Fraternal Order of Police.
Cathy and Javier's mission is to help officers and their families manage the stress of critical incidents.
They appeared in the documentary "Officer Involved"
You can find them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X.
www.cathyandjavi.com
cathyandjavi@gmail.com
cbustos@warriorsrestfoundation.org
javier@warriorsrestfoundation.org