Daily Lobo: You're a UNM Police Officer?
James A. Madrid: That's correct.
DL: Can you tell me what a typical day is like for you?
JM: I plan all the football games, so I'm pretty busy all the time just planning and organizing the officers.
DL: What kinds of things are you worried about when you plan football games?
JM: You're always worried about, for example, an active shooter or a disaster. You try to have enough officers to handle a situation and make it as safe as possible.
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DL: Do you ever find yourself tempted to watch the game?
JM: You know, I'm so worried about the people and the officers that - when you're in charge of the whole thing - there's a lot on your mind. You want to make sure that everybody is safe, so it's very rare that I watch it.
DL: Is it often that you have to deal with anything major?
JM: So far it's been minor. We've had, I think, one or two fights that first game. That kind of raises your stress level, but once it's all over you can relax a bit. You never know if it could escalate to something further. We just hope for the best.
DL: Are you worried about the rivalry with NMSU escalating?
JM: The only thing you can do is ask for students to try and be on their best behavior and try not to start fights. We're all there to watch the game and have fun, and that's my main thing: Watch it and enjoy it. Don't cause any trouble, because it could escalate to the point where it's uncontrollable.
