Sheriff says fewer deputies will patrol fairgrounds
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“There will be cutbacks this year,” said Sheriff Jackie Matheny of the number of paid deputies who annually patrol the fair. “There’s just no way around it.”
The cutbacks on fair manpower are one of the offshoots of the Warren County Commission’s trimming of the sheriff’s budget this year in which $173,000 was cut as part of a county-wide budget reduction. Matheny said the cuts in budget would have to be reflected in some areas, with fair patrols being one of those areas.
While saying the manpower would not be as big as in recent years, Matheny said he will still have at least two deputies at the fair each night and that he will ensure adequate protection is afforded.
“There will still be good security between the deputies, constables, fair volunteers and rescue squad members that are there,” Matheny said. “The constables really help out a lot at the fair and they will be there in force.”
Matheny said one of the biggest concerns at the fair is children, given the abduction of a child from the fairgrounds a few years ago. However, the sheriff said a plan is in place to quickly locate any lost children at the fair. The plan, the sheriff noted, relies on parents or guardians to immediately report missing children.
“If a child disappears and can’t be found, the responsible adult should immediately report the disappearance to fair security, an officer or rescue squad member,” Matheny said. “In this way we can immediately begin looking, and we’ve got a lot of people there to help out.”