Eugene police taking command of security at County Fair

The safety and security budget for this year’s Lane County Fair is about $310,000, said county spokesperson Devon Ashbridge.

This year marks the second consecutive summer that the Eugene Police Department has taken on a command role at the five-day fair, patrolling the approximately 52-acre grounds and responding to calls for help.

Other agencies and private security personnel also contribute to the safety response, Ashbridge said.

Sheriff’s deputies may be posted at the gate, while the Lane County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue “provides primary medical services” at the fair, said Sgt. Tim Wallace, a sheriff’s office spokesperson. Eugene Springfield Fire typically has an ambulance stationed at the fair, Wallace added.

Ashbridge said that over the course of the fair, “officers from Coburg, Springfield and others are scheduled to assist.”

The event historically has drawn more than 110,000 visitors, and over the years has seen isolated reports of shooting violence as well as a recent allegation of racial bias in how a sheriff’s office volunteer and a private security guard two years ago chased a Black fairgoer, then reportedly pinned him to the ground.

Through Saturday, July 26, Eugene police will have two separate shifts of officers working the event, police spokesperson Melinda McLaughlin said in an email, with four working a morning shift and eight in the evenings.

But the “shifts will overlap and will give a total of 12 officers working during the overlap times,” McLaughlin said. In addition, the response team includes a lieutenant and sergeant, and Central Lane Communications Center will also have a dispatcher dedicated to fair operations.

“The mission of all our public safety professionals working the fair is to provide a strong visible presence. Our goal is to reduce crime and the fear of crime so the public can enjoy their time visiting booths, going on rides, eating food or listening to music,” McLaughlin said.

Shifting command

Sheriff Carl Wilkerson last month described “an ongoing conversation” about staffing security for the fair.

“We came to a compromise on that, that the city would be the primary law enforcement provider, the incident commander for the fair while it was running. But that we, too, would commit to having our presence there at a next level or at a determined level,” Wilkerson said when asked by county commissioners to share a “challenging situation involving a major partner or stakeholder.”

Wilkerson described the issue as related to limited personnel. He has spoken about a need for more patrol deputies in rural parts of the county.

“The city of Eugene obviously has resource management concerns as well, and we’re both going to be protective of our own resources,” Wilkerson said.

McLaughlin said the city is working under a contract to provide the security services. Ashbridge said a new agreement is negotiated each year before the fair. 

While McLaughlin described a busy but relatively quiet event last year, four years ago the shooting of a woman attending the event led to multiple arrests. 

Two years ago a shooting was reported in the parking lot outside the event, and a day later the alleged actions of a security guard and a sheriff’s office volunteer in using a golf cart to chase a fairgoer led to a civil rights lawsuit alleging racial bias.

Last year, Eugene police responded to 56 calls at the fair, McLaughlin said.

“These calls included lost or missing children, lost or stolen property and disorderly subjects. Of those calls only four case numbers were generated and there were zero arrests or citations issued,” McLaughlin said.

Fairgoers this year again are being asked to walk through metal detectors, added in 2024 to fair entrances.

In an email, Ashbridge said the fair this year paid about $30,000 for six metal detectors using money from the Lane Events Center/Lane County Fair capital fund, so the amount is not included in the $310,000 total to be spent on security.

“Previously, the fair rented this equipment but decided to purchase the equipment in order to have more direct control over its quality and so it could be offered to vendors hosting events at the Lane Events Center during other times of year,” Ashbridge said, adding that the purchase is expected to result in cost savings next year as the fair will not have to pay to rent metal detectors.

A civilian volunteer group, the Lane County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse, was expected to again have a role at this year’s event.

“The Lane County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse directs parking south of the fairgrounds as a fundraiser for their volunteer program,” Wallace, from the sheriff’s office, said in an email earlier this month. “Many of the posse members are also special or reserve deputies, and are armed and able to respond to critical incidents.”

The Mounted Posse was among the defendants named in the lawsuit filed Tuesday, July 23, alleging racial bias and excessive force, among other claims.