(FOX40.COM) \u2014\u00a0As 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Dozens of Cal Expo police officers are working to keep the fairgrounds safe and secure.<\/p>\n
Visitors can see those security efforts from the moment they arrive. Before entering the fair, they must first pass through a security screening area.<\/p>\n
“At the gates, people walk through with magnetometers to help reduce the possibility of prohibited items coming through there,” an official said.<\/p>\n
The fair’s clear bag policy, along with security screenings at the gates, helps keep banned items from making it inside.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.<\/p>\n
Officers check IDs at the gates as part of a policy designed to reduce altercations and horseplay.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
However, that does not mean problems never happen.<\/p>\n
Cal Expo has about 220 cameras throughout the event center, both inside and outside.<\/p>\n
Those cameras monitor everything from the parking lot to the carnival rides and the event center.<\/p>\n
“We’re constantly monitoring the crowd,” the official said.<\/p>\n
While serious offenses do not happen often, anyone accused of committing one could end up inside the fairgrounds’ holding cell.<\/p>\n
All of the security measures are part of an effort to make sure the State Fair is a safe and memorable experience for everyone.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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