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Graciously compiled by
Don McAlavy, Clovis Historian
"The 1940's into the 1980's"
Many other lawmen served Clovis, but the name Marshal was dropped in
favor of "Policeman." Some of these law officers became well known and
revered. One was Nelson Worley, the youngest policeman, to have been hired
by the City of Clovis, in 1941. The police department grew from 10
patrolmen in 1941 to 17 in 1948 and by 1982, Worley said, the department
had 67 employees, which included dispatchers, file clerks and secretaries
as well as patrolmen. Police Chief Nelson Worley said in 1941 the police
department had two police units (vehicles). Most of the patrolmen were on
foot patrol. Worley said that at that time the police used one-way radios
instead of the two-way radios used today.
The policemens' manner of communicating with each other was rather unique.
When the one-way radios were used, the dispatcher would signal the
patrolman by turning on red lights in different parts of the city. The red
lights were located on top of the Hotel Clovis, one in the 500 block of
Main and one on top of the old Kimo Hotel then located in the 100 block of
W. Grand. When the policemen saw the light they would go to nearby
telephone and call the department to find out where they were needed. The
two-way radios were put into service in 1946, said Worley. (And by 1982
the department had 11 units.)
When Worley first came to the police department in Clovis, he said to be a
policeman "you handed the man a gun, a badge, deputized him, and put him
on the street. In 1982 the department required all patrolmen to have a
high
school diploma, to pass a background check, and to pass an oral test and
written examination. Worley said if the person is selected for the job he
had to take a seven week basic training course at the New Mexico Law
Enforcement Academy during the first year of his employment. The patrolman
is on probation for the first six months.
The department in 1982 had a continuing education program for all police
personnel. Every two months a class was given to familiarize policemen
with
any new laws. A school was also given after new decisions were made by the
New Mexsico State Supreme Court and the U. S. Supreme County to brief
personnel on changes in the law.
The laws, rules and regulations governing law enforcement have changed
tremendously, Worley said. In the 1940s, Worley said it was not uncommon
for a person arrested to be sent to the penitentiary the following day.
By 1982 the department had changed from routine police work to
neighborhood patroling. Neighborhood patroling is where the same officers
stay in the same district at all times. This makes it easier for the
patrolman and the neighborhood residents. "It gives the residents of the
neighborhood and the patrolmen a chance to get acquainted and know what is
normal for the area," Worley said. He also stated that the starting pay
for a patrolman today (1982) is one and a half times better than it was in
the 1940s.
By 1982 Worley has been in the enforcement field for more than 30 years.
Not only did he work his way up to be Chief of Police, but won 4 elections
to become the Curry County Sheriff, in 1960, 1962, 1966, and again in
1968. Fortunately for his friends and for Clovis, Nelson Worley is still
living
here in Clovis. He has a remarkable memory.
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