Hardly any of the 700,000- plus visitors to this year’s National Western Stock Show & Rodeo will worry about their safety, and that’s just the way organizers like it.
“With a crowd this big, you would expect some problems, but I have never felt unsafe or threatened out here at all,” said Anthony Bright of Centennial, an annual visitor who was accompanied Wednesday by his wife and three children. “That’s probably one of the best things about it, and I’d venture it doesn’t happen by accident.”
Through Wednesday, the only reported crime at the stock show was the theft of a tailgate off a pickup.
“I’m afraid the tailgate is just gone for good,” said Mike Smith, a property-crimes investigator for the Denver Police Department and a 28-year veteran of stock-show security.
Smith handpicks a detail of up to 18 police officers a day who contract with the show during their off-duty hours, bringing every set of police skills to the 100-acre complex for the 16-day show.
Sgt. Tom Rowe, who was directing traffic Wednesday for children on field trips, normally works in the gang unit. Spotting problems quickly and preventing them is key, Smith said. Volunteers, staff, firefighters and everyone else involved in the show keep an eye out for trouble, he added.
Police officers nabbed a pickpocket hours after he stole from a woman’s purse at the show. They also apprehended a thief who had followed rodeos and stock shows across the country, stealing from exhibitors and rodeo riders who left their gear unattended.
Occasionally, “a cowboy will come to town and let his liquor do his talking, and we have to shut that down,” Smith said.
Each year, 50 to 80 children wander off from their parents or school groups.
“When a call (comes in) about a lost child, that becomes everyone’s biggest priority,” Smith said, adding that a lost child has never left the grounds before being reunited with his or her parent or guardian.
Rowe has worked the last nine stock shows, but his most memorable one was three years ago. An older woman was panicked. A calf was being born, and her husband wasn’t strong enough to pull it through alone.
Rowe’s father is a veterinarian, so he rolled up his sleeves and tugged out the little heifer.
“I’ve seen it done a few times, but I’ve never been that personally involved,” he said.
Ron Rohr, the stock show’s vice president of administration, which includes security, is pleased with the show’s track record for safety. The officers carry out that task with friendly demeanors, he said.
“They take it to heart,” Smith said. “This is something that’s important to them – keeping people safe.”
Staff Writer Joey Bunch can be reached at 303-952-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com.
