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Ignacio "Nacho" Rosas is an evidence technician with the Amarillo Police Department.
"Growing up, they called me "Nacho."
It was a name my mom gave me," Rosas said. "I don't know how they got 'Nacho' out of 'Ignacio,' but that was back before they even had the food nacho."
Rosas is the oldest of a family of four sisters and one brother. His dad worked double-, sometimes triple-duty to make ends meet. "
There was one time he had three different jobs," Rosas said. "Mom was a housewife, but that's the way they wanted it."
He grew up in Amarillo and graduated from Caprock High School. He wrestled in high school, forming a a wrestling group with some of his buddies, and even traveled doing it.
"I was a good wrestler," Rosas said. "I always wanted to do something athletic."
As he got older and had children of his own, he helped them wrestle as they grew interested, even renting a building at the Tri-State Fairgrounds and training middle school and elementary students.
Rosas said it is important for parents to be involved with their children's interests.
"My dad was always involved in my wrestling at Caprock," he said. "My dad helped me, and I helped my kids, and when the time comes, they will help theirs. It is how it is supposed to be."
After high school, Rosas attended West Texas State University for two years, then worked for Pioneer Natural Gas Co. for about six years before it was bought out by another company and he was laid off.
It was then that he took a city job working as an evidence tech for the police department.
"I applied to be an officer, but I was 35, fixing to turn 36, and the cutoff was 35," Rosas said. "There was a position in the evidence department. I applied for that and came out No. 1."
He has been there ever since and hasn't looked back. At the age of 55, he is within retirement age but hasn't crossed that bridge just yet.
"I think as long as I am healthy, I'll work," Rosas said. "I will probably try to work another five years at least."
His duties include cataloguing, storing and inspecting evidence that is brought in.
"We destroy evidence, too," Rosas said. "There must be a court order from a judge, though, for us to destroy something."
A lot of strange things show up in the evidence room.
"There was a fight, and a man's nostril was checked into the evidence room," Rosas said. "They came and checked it out later. That was pretty strange, though."
Although a nose being bitten off and checked in as evidence is not common, it does show the diversity of the work.
A co-worker said Rosas is much appreciated by the rest of the police department and that his hard work and dedication to family is obvious.
"He is a great guy and is well liked around the whole police department," said Sherri Naylor, another evidence tech. "He is extremely family oriented and very involved with his church."
The police department will update its systems soon and is sending some of its employees to study Microsoft Word and Excel at Amarillo College.
"The police department is paying for it," Rosas said. "It will really help the switch."
It was an unexpected path that led Rosas to this line of work, but he likes it.
"It's a good job with good benefits," he said. "As a youngster, you don't think about those things."
He does now with two sons, Jay and Matthew, and a daughter, Erin, to keep up with.
In addition to his job at the police department and his classes at AC, Rosas and his wife do maintenance part-time at an Opportunity School for children.
The money they earn goes toward a credit card that is used by their second son, Matthew, an exercise and sports science major at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview.
"At home, my dad loves to relax and watch ESPN," Matthew Rosas said. "He also helps around the house all the time. When my sister and I were younger, he would let us ride on his back and he would act like a horse. My parents are very loving and only want what's best for their kids."
Rosas attributes everything to his wife of 20 years, Nancy. "Without her, none of this would be possible," he said.
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