Minnesota State Fair's new police chief promises more safety, security
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. – We are less than a week away from the start of the Minnesota State Fair.
The new chief in charge, Ron Knafla, says your safety and security will be his top priority. And this year, more officers from more agencies will be on the ground.
"This will be my 35th year working for the State Fair Police Department," Knafla said.
Chief Knafla is no stranger to the State Fairgrounds. Not only has he patrolled these grounds for decades, he's come to know the people who work here. Protecting them is his job, but it's also personal.
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"We've added metal detectors to what already was there in the past. We've added additional cameras," he said.
Chief Knafla says this year's safety and security budget is more than $5 million – nearly double what was spent in 2019. With that extra money comes more staff.
One-hundred-seventy licensed police officers – plus 80 officers from local, state and federal agencies – will walk the fairgrounds. And new this year: the presence of officers with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
"We're gonna use them to help patrol our fence line, because they have, let's face it, the DNR gets all the nice toys, right? They have UTVs, they have bikes, so that's a really efficient way to patrol the perimeter," he said.
Last year's state fair saw fights and gunfire inside and outside the gates. This year, enhanced communications from the fair's very own 911 dispatcher will provide cops early warning of any potential issue.
"It's a smoother flow of information, right, so when the call comes in the call gets sent to us much quicker that way," he said.
More vehicle barriers, plus undercover officers, will be in place to keep you safe.
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"You could be in line to get your cheese curds and not know you're standing right next to an officer," he said.
One thing you should know: although marijuana is now legal in Minnesota, you shouldn't bring it to the fair.
"You cannot smoke marajuana at the State Fair, that is not permissible," he said. "Our approach is gonna be to educated people that it's not allowed here at the fairgrounds."
An alert system will also help notify workers of any threats from violence, or storms.
