Fair left no crime unturned

PALMER — While pedestrians wAndered the paths at the Alaska State Fair for nearly two weeks, local law enforcement patrolled the sidewalks, streets and sky providing area-wide protection and crime prevention.

Alaska State Troopers joined forces with the Palmer Police Department in supplying at least 24 officers to cover the Alaska State Fairgrounds and surrounding roads for the 12-day event.

Troopers dedicated a 12-person team to the fair where they focused their efforts on roadway infractions, said Megan Peters, spokeswoman for Alaska State Troopers. Overall, troopers working the fair made 1,731 traffic stops with a staggering average of 150 citations issued per day. Palmer police reports its officers made 318 traffic stops during 752 patrol hours, which accounted for 217 traffic citations and 144 warnings. The 12 Palmer officers traveled a total of 6,954 patrol miles during the fair.

The Alaska Highway Safety Office provides money to increase patrols for the fair, where troopers are brought in from all over the state to help, Peters said. As a part of a national crackdown, troopers concentrated their enforcement on impaired driverS and seat belt violations. During the 12 days of the fair, troopers issued an average of two DUI infractions per day, three of which were felony charges and another three drug related.

Law enforcement officers take the seat belt law seriously, Peters said. And to show how serious they are, troopers issued 182 seat belt tickets to drivers not belted in, 35 to passengers and four tickets to parents whose children were not buckled up.

Not only did troopers have a presence on the ground, they also occupied the sky.

While patrol cars protected the streets, trooper helicopters buzzed overhead to provide air support for ground units. Three helicopters were used during the fair, which are appropriately named Helo 1, Helo 2 and Helo 3, Peters said. Helo 1, an A-Star helicopter, was the primary air unit used at the fair. Its main purpose was to pick out erratic drivers and report those drivers to patrol cars in the area.

Law enforcement at the fair wasn’t limited to handing out tickets and patrolling the area. Troopers apprehended one fugitive, made one felony arrest and responded to two collisions and six accidents, Peters said.

Palmer officers made a total of 102 fair-related arrests, received 15 animal-related calls and responded to 26 motor vehicle accidents, the report says. State troopers and Palmer police agree that having a presence at the Alaska State Fair is important. It is necessary to make sure people slow down and stay calm, said Lt. Thomas Remaley of the Palmer Police Department.

“We run into a lot of frustrated people,” Remaley said.

Contact Chris Gillow at 352-2284 or chris.gillow@frontiersman.com.