First person: Private investigator takes week off for rodeo

Pioneer Days rodeo events couldn’t take place without help from Mounted Patrol member Kevin Clements. Clements, 53, prepares the arena for the rodeo events each evening. Clements took a week off from his work as a private investigator to devote his time to the rodeo.

Arena prep: I go out and sell all the banners you see hanging in the arena. Each night, I make sure everything is set up correctly, make sure there is enough water on the arena floor and plow it. I also put the stakes in for barrel racing.

Costly venture: The mounted patrol devotes their time volunteering to run the Pioneer Days Rodeo. The rodeo costs a little more than $100,000 a year so we couldn’t do it without support from the community. Most of the banners around the arena are from local sponsors.

Team player: I’m also a team roper. I started team roping in the early 1980s. I enjoy it because my kids enjoy it and it’s something I can do with them. My best time I can remember in a team roping event was 5.7 seconds, but we didn’t get both of the steers feet so it was 10.7. My two sons are both ropers also.

PI: I started working as a PI after 25 years in the Clovis Police Department. I don’t investigate the things people think PI’s do, like girlfriends who think their boyfriend is cheating on them. I work mainly on criminal backgrounds. My expertise is in traffic reconstruction. After a car accident, I figure out exactly what happened.

Young police officer: I grew up in Albuquerque but wanted to be a cop at 19, and you have to be 21 to be a police officer in Albuquerque. So I came here, got a job and planned to return to Albuquerque at 21. Then I decided I couldn’t leave. I like Clovis too much.

After rodeo work: I don’t get a break after the rodeo is over. I have to head right back to work. I have lawyers calling me already with work. I’ll just make sure I don’t work too hard on Sunday.

— Compiled by CNJ staff writer Liliana Castillo