DES MOINES – The State Fair wants to make your experience this year safer, so they’ve set up their own police force.
Before, the fairgrounds only had security guards with back up from the Des Moines police department. For events like the State Fair, Iowa State patrol would come in.
Now, the fairground have their own 24/7 police force to ensure safety of anyone on the fairgrounds at any given time.
“Given the nature of things nowadays and the amount of events that take place outside of the Iowa State Fair here on the grounds, they just wanted to up their game a little bit and put in a full time police department,” Commander Doug Phillips says.
The main reason for a state fair police force is so these officers can handle the big events like the state fair in August.
“When you start to gather that amount of people on a 465 acre complex it is like a small town all in its own,” he says.
The department will have a small number of full-time officers, but the man power doesn’t stop there.
“That force is augmented by other police officers from other agencies and some part time retired folks that have come back into the game as well as the full time people,” Phillips says.
They are just like any other police force.
“They thought it would be good to have a full time police department out here who could actually act on criminal acts and the basic safety and security,” Phillips says.
“All of the officers who work out here at the Iowa State Fairgrounds are armed.”
Phillips says the policies and procedures are still being outlined right now. But, he says having this new police force should make people feel extra safe.
“The Iowa State fair is a great place to come, it is safe, it is secure now that we have a full time police department out here all it does is another added layer of protection,” he says.
But, he says the force is still small and asks one thing of people attending events.
“Prior to this, they had a security force that worked here everyday, however, given the nature of things nowadays and the amount of events that take place outside of the Iowa State Fair here on the grounds, they just wanted to up their game a little bit and put in a full time police department,” Phillips says.
“We do have full time police officers out here who are employed by the Iowa State Fair, and then that force is augmented by other police officers from other agencies and some part time retired folks that have come back into the game as well as the full time people.”
With the force still being so new and still expanding, they will look to add more technology like body cameras if they need them.
Phillips hopes that with officers there, it will put people’s minds at ease.