WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — A former Des Moines police officer is using his video production skills, from his time in the department as a public information officer, to now create documentaries for the Valley Junction Hispanic community.
Vince Valdez has created videos for the Taste of the Junction Festival and Historic Valley Junction Foundation recognizing people of Hispanic and Latin American heritage.
"I do these stories so nobody forgets," Valdez told Local 5 News. "I think that's the most important thing to me, because they are so dear to me, I love them so much."
The Des Moines Police Department accepted Valdez into the police academy in 1985 and he later served as the chief steward of the police union for eight years. He also worked the midnight shift until he was 32 years old.
Now retired after serving 32 years in law enforcement, Valdez uses his video production experience to still connect with people through his documentaries, including during Hispanic Heritage Month.
"For me, it's obviously very important," Valdez said. "It's about me, it's about my family, it's about my friends. It's about a beautiful culture. It's a celebration and an awakening, you know, of all the people that are here. And how they got here and how they contributed."
Valdez has also produced documentaries for the Des Moines Art Center's Day of the Dead celebration honoring Hispanic Americans who have contributed to the Valley Junction community.
He is also working on a side, genealogy project to retrace old, digitized photos of his family.