A local county fair is ramping up security measures as fairs across the country are seeing an increase in violence, including two recent incidents at Northeast Ohio fairs.
The Medina County Fair installed a mobile police command unit and four live feed cameras, according to Howard Call, executive director of the Ohio Fair Managers Association.
The increased security comes after Trumbull County police arrested a juvenile after a fight at the Trumbull County Fair July 14. An individual hit an officer and his horse, according to police.
A little over a week later, Summit County officers responded to a shooting in the parking lot at the Summit County Fair. An unknown man opened fire, shooting into a vehicle and injuring a teenager after the fair closed, according to the sheriff's office.
Call wants the public to know that Ohio fairs are safe to attend, but certain safety policies need to be in place.
“What we've done at the Ohio Fairs Convention in January, where we have the fair boards attend, we've held seminars and workshops on gate protocols, security, gun related instances and training trying to approach these fair officials, which most of them are volunteers, on how to deal with these issues,” Call said.
At the Medina fair, the mobile command unit includes security cameras, one of which will provide live feed for the fairgrounds, he said. Medina’s fair is also asking for public feedback to assess the fair’s security.
In Clark County in the western portion of the state, officials instated a rule prohibiting minors from attending the fair without an adult, Call said.
In response to the July 27 shooting, the Summit County Fairground announced in a Facebook post they will enact a restriction on bags type for fair attendees.
The shooting is still under investigation. The day before, there was also an incident involving a group of teenagers caught throwing objects at barn animals, fairground officials wrote in a Facebook post. Around 10:30 p.m. a physical altercation broke out, ending with a juvenile arrest for an individual apprehended with a taser. All incidents remain under police investigation.
Fairs in Ohio can’t prohibit attendees from bringing guns on fairgrounds, according to state law, but they can't bring guns into structured buildings, according to Call. If concealed weapons are brought to outdoor fairground areas, Call said fair workers can encourage attendees to stow their guns away in the trunk of their cars.
Call added that safety measures are evolving from year to year. For example, the Trumbull fight brought attention to tasers smaller than vape pens as a new threat for fair safety. Fair officials will need to figure out best practices for bag policies, Call said.
“We're going to have to address the bag [size restriction] issue because we don't want to stop a family from coming in with a diaper bag and, and to enjoy the fair,” said Call. “It's our responsibility to provide a safe venue for families to come out and participate.”
When it comes to future safety implementations, Call and others at the Ohio Fair Managers Association are looking to local and national fairs and their policies. Summit County fair officials are in talks with county government to install metal detectors next year and replicate Medina’s system, Call added.
Despite the uptick in incidents across the country, county fairs remain a safe place for the whole family, Call said.
“I would wholeheartedly say that fairs are family entertainment. It's our responsibility to try to mitigate these people and their actions,” said Call. “County fairs are enjoyable. They're a fun thing to do and the people just need to respect the fact they come out and have fun and not come out to agitate and cause trouble.”
