Security measures ahead of day one at the Santa Cruz County Fair
Jeanette Bent
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — Beeps fill the air as patrons waiting in line at the Santa Cruz County Fair enter on site for its first day, a sound that represents safety and security measures.
“I can say that we have an enhanced level of security,” said Ron Haedicke, the fair’s marketing director. “I would say that at any one time, we’ve got 30 to 40, if not more, security people on the grounds wandering around to make everybody’s stay here even happier.”
Haedicke has been involved with the fair since the 1980s, having held down multiple roles.
He said that security at the fair consists of not only a private team, but also officers from other local departments as well as fair staff.
This comes on the heels of an incident at the Monterey County Fair on August 30 that forced people to evacuate, police saying that a possible shooting and several fights may have prompted this evacuation.
“I think people are concerned, and I understand that, but we hope that they will come and enjoy this fair as they always have,” said Haedicke. “We have protocols set up for every type of incident that could possibly happen here, and we do work together and have meetings so that we’re all on the same page.”
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s office says that they feel comfortable with their level of security ahead of the fair, staffing the event this year the same as they have in years past.
“We have two shifts that are kind or split up at the fair. We have a morning shift and an afternoon shift. Most of the shifts are going to be about four to five deputies,” said Sergeant Zach West. “We’ll also have deputies in a booth handing out sheriff’s office swag.”
Sergeant West did mention rigorous preventative training that local officials participate in prior to large events like this one.
“We actually kind of host an active shooter training. It’s a week-long training,” Sergeant West. “It really encompasses all the law enforcement agencies in Santa Cruz County as well as fire and EMS personnel.”
As carnival rides and games fill up throughout the first day of the fair, Sergeant West wants to remind people that if or when an emergency incident does unfold…
“Obviously these are rapid unfolding situations and they can be very dynamic, and so we want to ensure everybody’s safety so if a situation does unfold, just follow the direction of law enforcement,” said Sergeant West. “And secondly, obviously protect yourself.”
Officials say that they take a proactive approach when it comes to any suspicious activity at the fair.
Despite the Monterey County Fair incident over a week ago, people waiting in line to enter the fair right before it opened, said they were not concerned about their safety and security.