Det. Carlos Vega Passes After Long Bout With Cancer

After a five-year battle with cancer, life-long Chelsea resident and Chelsea Police Det. Carlos Vega, 46, passed away on June 7, but his brothers and sisters in blue this week said he will not be forgotten.

Det. Vega was born in Boston, but grew up in Chelsea and lived her his whole life. He was a 20-year veteran of the Chelsea Police, where his son Carlos Jr. is also on the force. Most recently, he was the Property and Evidence Officer and made key changes to procedures in the Department’s evidence room recently. For that, Chief Brian Kyes said, they have named the new room after him and installed a plaque there as well.

Known on the job as ‘The Whisperer,’ he was soft-spoken, but thorough and meticulous, said Kyes.

“It’s a significant loss for our community and our department,” said Kyes. “We’re losing a great man and a great friend.”

Vega entered the Police Academy in 2002 in Weymouth with a class that included Brian Dunn, Joe Bevere and Tom Riley.

“He worked on a patrol over many years and in 2013 we formed the Street Robbery Task Force and Carlos was one of five police officers to be part of that pro-active group,” he said.

Because Vega had attended Curry College and Bentley College with degrees in Criminal Justice and Engineering, Kyes said he had unique skills and found a home as the Property and Evidence Officer.

He was a committed worker, and though his cancer treatments would sometime push him from work for a while, he would always return quickly.

“He worked up until about six weeks ago,” said Kyes. “He loved his work.”

Beyond that, Det. Vega was a resident of Chelsea on Spencer Avenue, and was president of Chelsea Little League at one time, as well as Chelsea Pride and Pop Warner Football. His commitment to the youth of the city was clearly seen.

“He was heavily involved in the lives of the youth of the city and as a life-long resident, he was invested in Chelsea in general,” said Kyes. “The impact of his loss is profound. Everyone is feeling it. He’ll be missed, but never forgotten.”

Vega’s badge, #138, has been passed on to his son, Officer Carlos Vega Jr., as well as his personal locker at the station.

A funeral Mass at Our Lady of Grace took place on Monday, with full honors and nearly every Police Officer available in attendance.