(FOX40.COM) — As the California State Fair approaches its second weekend at Cal Expo, police are working around the clock to keep the thousands of people filling the fairgrounds safe.

More than 700,000 people visited the fair last year. With crowds of that size, Cal Expo police are bolstering staffing and using multiple layers of security to help protect fairgoers.

Dozens of Cal Expo police officers are working to keep the fairgrounds safe and secure.

Visitors can see those security efforts from the moment they arrive. Before entering the fair, they must first pass through a security screening area.

“At the gates, people walk through with magnetometers to help reduce the possibility of prohibited items coming through there,” an official said.

The fair’s clear bag policy, along with security screenings at the gates, helps keep banned items from making it inside.

“Like small knives and scissors, so that we help them with that. Some people try to bring in alcohol, and so we deal with that as well,” the official said.

Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Officers check IDs at the gates as part of a policy designed to reduce altercations and horseplay.

“If they’re under 18, they’re accompanied by a parent or adult, somebody over 21 years of age, to enforce that minor policy, which we’ve resulted in over an 80% reduction of issues involving that since we’ve been doing it for the last four years,” the official said.

However, that does not mean problems never happen.

Cal Expo has about 220 cameras throughout the event center, both inside and outside.

Those cameras monitor everything from the parking lot to the carnival rides and the event center.

“We’re constantly monitoring the crowd,” the official said.

While serious offenses do not happen often, anyone accused of committing one could end up inside the fairgrounds’ holding cell.

All of the security measures are part of an effort to make sure the State Fair is a safe and memorable experience for everyone.

It is a busy time for Cal Expo police and the security teams working during the fair, but the State Fair is not their only responsibility. They work year-round to keep the Cal Expo grounds safe during events.

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