TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office is laying out a more aggressive approach to patrolling the Tulsa State Fair.
From more deputies walking the fairgrounds to new technology, Sheriff Vic Regalado said his department takes what it learns each year and applies it to better serve the community in the future.
Watch: Regalado's full announcement:
Big changes you might see this year include:
- Mobile security towers near entrances
- Extra cameras with facial recognition
- A drone dog
"Over the next 11 days, we will see over a million people attend the fair," said Regalado. "We like to provide a safe and family-friendly fair as we have in the past."
All of these new investments are intended to layer fair-goers with a blanket of security.
The mobile security towers from LiveView Technologies will be placed near the entrances. They can detect firearms and perform facial recognition.
To help alleviate any blind spots the department may have, they are also solar powered. This will ensure that someone has an eye on the event at any point of the day or night.
"Child safety is also one of the most important things that we look at here at the fair," Regalado said.
Last year, TCSO helped reunite 110 children with their families after they were separated.
While deputies are there to help, Regalado also reminds parents there are things they can do to help in the instance that their child does get lost.
"We also again offer wristbands, so when you come, please get your child a wristband that has information on it to where we can look at it and contact you at the fair and inform you where your child is going to be so you can come and pick them up as quickly as possible."
Wristbands will be available at the TCSO command post, the entrance gates, or the TCSO booth on the upper level of the Expo Center.
Parents should also take a photo of their child before they enter the fair so if anything should happen, law enforcement have a better idea of who they're looking for.
That photo can also be used in this facial recognition technology. TCSO also intends to use that feature to help prevent more criminal activity.
"We also can do that for wanted people," said Regalado. "If we have an individual who's wanted by the law and comes into our fair hoping to disappear amongst the million people that will attend the 11 days of awesomeness, we hopefully can lock in on that individual and place them in custody as well."
As for the drone dog, TCSO is the first agency to deploy technology like this in an event of this size.
“The reason why they went with a drone model is because unlike other types of drones it can be all terrain," said Michael Stopp with Swift Creek Consulting. "It can even climb stairs so we use the four legs to get the dog wherever it needs to be.”
“We want people to have fun, but make no mistake, if you come out here for something otherwise, we will act very quickly,” said Regalado.
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