Hundreds of thousands of people visit the California Mid-State Fair every year, and several different agencies work together to keep everyone safe.
"The Mid-State Fair is definitely a different type of animal,” said Paso Robles Police Department Commander Ricky Lehr. “It's unlike any type of event that we have inside the City of Paso Robles or in the county. It's definitely the largest event that we deal with throughout the year.”
Grace Norris, a crime prevention specialist with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, says the department is contracted to patrol inside the fair during evening hours, while other agencies handle areas outside the gates.
Commander Lehr says arrests are down this year, and he credits that to the unified command by law enforcement, which started just last year.
“Sheriff's department, the CHP, fair staff and Paso Robles [Police Department] — we're working together to mitigate any problems before they get out of hand,” he said.
Lehr says these agencies now work in sync, sharing what’s happening both inside and outside the fairgrounds.
“We have this big vehicle where all of us get together and we've got live video feeds," he explained. "We're able to see where officers are at all times so that we've got good coverage.”
Norris says the most common calls officers respond to include fights, over-intoxication, and lost children. She advises guardians to snap a quick picture of their child before the fair, so if they get separated, they have a current photo ready to go.
Some fairgoers say the added patrols are bringing peace of mind.
“Hearing that certainly gives me comfort to know that if something were to happen or if one of these [kids] got lost or something, people are around quickly to make sure nothing goes beyond that,” said Joe Gonzalez.
“I lost my daughter at Walmart once and it was the worst two minutes of my life,” his wife, Linda, added.
According to Ryan Armstrong with Templeton CHP, local patrols have increased, not just for the police department, but for the California Highway Patrol as well.
