Matthew Cox | Inside True Crime Podcast Inside the Mind of a Female Officer | Secrets to Catch Criminals
Jan 28, 2026
Marique Bartoldus, retired NYPD detective and author of Twenty & Out, shares vivid frontline stories from 20 years in patrol, narcotics, intelligence, and animal cruelty work. She talks about being a woman on the street, violent encounters and chases, informant handling and interrogation tactics, and the emotional toll of animal abuse investigations.
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Informants Are Investigation Currency
- Police investigations rely heavily on informants and tips because many crimes leave no visible trail.
- Marique highlights that cooperation often provides the only path to guns, videos, or animal abuse evidence.
Animal Unit Took An Emotional Toll
- Marique spent nine months in the new animal cruelty unit and found the cases emotionally devastating.
- She left because many investigations lacked witnesses and justice was often impossible to achieve.
Shoes Gave The Robber Away
- Marique arrested a robbery suspect identified by red-white-blue sneakers and khaki shorts on clear bodega video.
- He initially denied it until she showed he'd be exposed at trial, then he confessed.
