WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — In light of the shooting at last year's Washington County Fair that sent people into a panic and left some scared to return, Lieutenant Leo Frisard with the Washington County Sherriff's Office (WCSO) says "We're beefing up the security and even manpower."
And this year WCSO and surrounding law enforcement agencies are taking security to a new level:
"The fair purchased metal detectors, so we have metal detectors at the entrances. that's a big step. that's what's really going to be what keeps a lot of the weapons from coming in compared to what we had last year," Frisard recalled.
Those metal detectors come at a cost of about $4,800, but officials say safety is worth the price.
"We wanted to be sure the public felt safe, and that we were safe. We ask people to use clear plastic bags for their personal items and all animals will have to have the service animal certification to get in," said county fair board member Doris Cassidy.
If you don't have a clear bag you can still get in but will have to go through additional security steps. On top of that, it's the first year police are rolling out a mobile command tower that they borrowed from the Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD), and cameras that can detect gunshots and identify weapons.
"The weapon identification is not going to catch something that may be hidden, but that's where the metal detectors come in. If there is a weapon displayed somewhere inside that little perimeter that the cameras are angled at, then it's going to catch that and we'll get a notification about it ... it sends out notifications to law enforcement," explained Frisard.
So if you're feeling on edge about joining in on the fun at the fair this year, law enforcement wants you to know you're in good hands.
"Ultimately the whole fair is going to be under surveillance. We're going to be monitoring stuff that not everybody may be able to see ... I want everybody to kind of trust us that we're doing everything we can to provide a safe environment for families to come here and enjoy what the Fair has to offer," Said Frisard.
The carnival of the fair officially starts on Tuesday, Aug. 22, and opens at 5 p.m. For a full schedule of the fair's events, check out our article here.
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