More officers, beefed up fence line security for Minnesota State Fair. ‘We’re ready,’ police chief says

More officers will be at work during the Minnesota State Fair this year, officials have beefed up the fence line around the Fairgrounds, and additional security cameras are in place, the Fair’s police chief said Thursday.

Walking on the Fairgrounds one week before opening day, Chief Ron Knafla said, “I think things are looking good. We’re ready.”

Officials increased the police presence in the midst of last year’s Fair following reports that groups of young people were causing disturbances and starting fights on the second Saturday of the Fair. On that evening, a male was shot in the leg in the fairground’s Midway area; police at the time said it wasn’t random.

While there have been shootings near the Fairgrounds, Knafla said in his 35 years of working at the Fair he doesn’t know of another such crime on the grounds.

Also last year, a shooting that injured an 18-year-old near the Fairgrounds marked the third year of a security incident on the Fair’s final night. In 2021, staff members were closing the Fair’s gates and one gate became overrun by about 50 people and a worker saw a man with a gun.

The Fair wasn’t held in 2020 due to the pandemic. In 2019, a fight just outside the Fairgrounds ended with a 19-year-old critically injured when a passing vehicle struck her; three young men were also shot and wounded.

Serious incidents are concerning, but they’re not prevalent — most of what officers respond to are reports of lost children or medical incidents, Knafla said.

“We take our jobs seriously, and that’s providing a safe and secure environment so everybody can come out and enjoy the Fair,” he said. “This is a Minnesota treasure.”

Last year, people from all 50 states visited, as well as people from 30 countries. “This is personal for us,” Knafla said. “It’s not just a job. We’re keeping family and friends safe as well.” He said his two teenage daughters go to the Fair, as do his 80-year-old parents.

About 250 licensed peace officers will be working during the 12 days of the fair, an increase of more than 50 from than last year. Roughly 170 of them will be working for the State Fair police department — they patrol in the uniform from the department where they usually work — and the remainder are contracted from the Ramsey and Hennepin county sheriff’s offices, Minneapolis police mounted patrol, Minnesota State Patrol, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

For the first time this year, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will have conservation officers patrolling along the Fairground’s fence line on bicycles and utility task vehicles (UTVs). There will also be deputies on bikes patrolling the perimeter.

The Fair replaced fencing in some areas and improved it in others. There “was an overall examination of the fencing and what it would take to secure it a little more,” Knafla said.

The FBI assisted last year and they’ll be back this year; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be there for the first time, according to Knafla. He said these organizations are not there because of a specific threat.

“We have one job, right? Provide a safe and secure environment for people to come and enjoy the Fair or for people to work at the Fair, and we take that job very seriously,” Knafla said. That includes “a massive comprehensive plan” for safety and security, and “the more partnerships we have, and the more resources we can bring to the table, the better it is,” he added.

Will fairgoers see agents with “FBI” on the back of their jackets?

“More than likely no,” Knafla said. “They’ll be behind the scenes, they’ll also be out walking around, same with some of our other law enforcement partners. There’s going to be a number of officers in plain clothes that people could be standing in line right next to them and not know it. They’re eyes and ears for us out there.”

Metal detectors have already been in place at the gates to the Fair and there will be more this year to improve the efficiency of getting people through, Knafla said.

Asked how someone got a gun onto the Fairgrounds last year, in the instance of the male being shot and wounded, Knafla said he couldn’t discuss it because it “is still part of an open and active investigation.” No one was arrested in the case.

For the first time last year, there were some vehicle barriers placed at vehicle entrances and they’ve added a couple of additional ones this year.

“Then there’s some security measures that will be behind the scenes or people won’t readily see,” Knafla said, which he didn’t detail.

The Fair doesn’t disclose how many security cameras they have, but Knafla said it’s “a lot.”

The safety and security budget is more than $5 million this year, which is nearly double what the Fair spent in 2019. It covers the fence enhancements and additional personnel, along with extra metal detectors and cameras.

For the third year, there will be “community ambassadors” working during the Fair. They take an approach of trying to de-escalate situations.

Knafla said he was somewhat skeptical when the Fair brought them aboard in 2021, “but I saw firsthand that they were doing a phenomenal job, engaging with kids and redirecting them, so that’s why we invited them back last year and again this year,” he said.

While marijuana possession and recreational use became legal for people 21 and older in Minnesota on Aug. 1, the Fairgrounds isn’t allowing people to smoke on the grounds. If an officers finds violations, “we have decided our approach is going to be to educate people,” Knafla said.

The Fair urges anyone who sees suspicious activity or who needs help, whether from law enforcement or emergency medical services, to call 911.

“We’d rather have people call us and not be needed than to have them wish they had called us,” Knafla said.

In the event of severe weather during the Fair, they will use a wireless emergency alert system — it’s the same system that sends an alert to cellphones when an Amber Alert is issued. To get them, people should be sure emergency and government alert notifications on their phones are enabled.

There’s a new internal texting system this year for vendors, staff and attraction operators, which they can opt-in to, in order to receive alerts about severe weather or other safety issues.

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