Pan American Center to hold funeral for fallen Hatch police officer

The funeral for fallen Hatch Police Officer Jose Chavez will be held at NMSU’s Pan American Center on Sunday at 3 p.m.

For those who can’t make it to the Pan Am Center, ABC-7 will be streaming the ceremony live on KVIA.com at 3 p.m.

A group of regional law enforcement officers will gather near Hatch Valley High School and await the funeral procession, which will lead Officer Chavez on his final patrol through the Village of Hatch, passing by the Hatch Valley Regional Public Safety building.

From there, the motorcade will proceed east on Franklin Street to I-25, where it will head south to Las Cruces. Motorists are advised that a rolling road block will be in effect from approximately 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The route will continue into Las Cruces and exit on University Avenue, where eastbound and westbound lanes of traffic will be temporarily blocked. The motorcade is expected to turn left on Triviz Drive to Stewart Street, and make a final procession to the Pan American Center via Arrowhead Drive.

Services inside the Pan American Center are scheduled to begin at approximately 3 p.m. Expected speakers include Congressman Steve Pearce and Governor Susana Martinez.

Doors at the Pan Am will open at 1 p.m. Attendees are asked to use the north and south entrances only. Also, a strict no-bag policy will be in effect. This includes backpacks, luggage of any kind, and ladies’ purses. Medical equipment secured in a bag will be allowed.

NMSU officials say this is the first time ever a funeral will be held there. The Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office reached out to NMSU and asked to use the space because of the size.

“Knowing that we will accommodate thousands of people is essentially a logistical nightmare to coordinate a proper facility and ease of traffic flow in and out,” DASO Spokeswoman Kelly Jameson said. “The Pan American Center was certainly best suited to accommodate for that.”

Thousands are expected to fill the seats.

“The university pretty much came together immediately, including our chancellor, that we would make every effort to make this building available,” Scott Breckner, NMSU Special Events Coordinator, said.

While there are volleyballs and a net sitting on the court now, Breckner tells ABC-7 the floor will be covered, they’ll build a stage, add lights and curtains. He said NMSU is offering the facility free of charge.

“The rent would be somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 dollars,” he said.

According to NMSU, Chavez was an Aggie and already enrolled in classes for the fall. He had 16 more credits before completing his degree in criminal justice.