DALLAS — State Fair of Texas organizers Tuesday explained new security protocols meant to protect guests, including an already-publicized ban on children entering the park after 5 p.m.
For the first time, visitors will pass through a high-tech weapons detection system as they enter the grounds. The security towers are designed to identify potential threats without slowing ingress.
"You can keep your bag on, you can keep your phone in your pocket, and you can walk right through," said Karissa Condoianis, the fair's senior vice president for public relations. "It's detecting weapons."
A new private security firm will staff the entrance gates. Those guards are responsible for searching people flagged by the weapons detectors.
Dallas police will also station officers in uniforms and in plain clothes around the fair grounds. Others will wander the park, looking for worrisome behavior or people who need help.
Police will not say how many officers will be at Fair Park, though the number will vary from day-to-day. A "significant portion" of the detail signed up to work the fair off-duty, deputy chief Teena Schultz said.
A department tactical team spends "eight or nine months" planning for the fair each year, Schultz added. Police engage in tabletop exercises with fair employees and Dallas Fire and Rescue personnel.
Strategists also consider recent shootings in neighborhoods around Fair Park as they prepare for the event.
"We do look at the crime trends that are happening in the southeast and central divisions, as well as what's going on across the country," Schultz added. "Even if an event hasn't happened, we plan for an event to happen."
The fair employs its own security team, composed mostly of retired Dallas police officers, partly to relieve staffing pressure on the Dallas police force.
In August, organizers announced children will be turned away at the fair entrance after 5 p.m. unless accompanied by someone 21-years-old or older. Condoianis said fair planners have considered making the change for years.
"It's just another measure we put in place to help create that safe environment for nights at the fair," she said.
The move comes a year after teenagers caused a panic at the fair by running through the park, yelling about a hoax shooting. Social media trends have increasingly encouraged similar, bad behavior in public.
Visitors should visit the state fair's website for more information, including the code of conduct.