Minnesota State Fair security options under discussion

Concerns over policing at the state fairgrounds will be back in the spotlight Tuesday.

The Ramsey County Board and Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher will discuss options for security at the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

The state fair is back on this year but there are still a lot of questions when it comes to security and who will be patrolling the grounds of Minnesota’s largest event.

While the fair board voted earlier this month to have the fair, a contract detailing public safety has not yet been put into place.

The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office has stepped up to take over fair security after Minnesota State Fair Police Chief Paul Paulos announced his retirement in May.

Tuesday, the county board will meet to discuss some of the safety logistics.

Fletcher has laid out a plan that still needs to be approved. Part of that plan asks for help from the state, at least 200 officers at the fair daily, along with bag checks and metal detectors at the entrance gates.

Ramsey County Board Chair Toni Carter said the board still has to agree on a valid contract and there are still a lot questions.

"We need to make certain that the financial aspects, the operational aspects, insurance indemnification, what about body worn cameras? We’ve got police officers coming from many different departments, are they going to wear them? Whose are they going to wear? How are they going to be managed? Who’s going to be reviewing those cameras?," Carter said.

Members of the county board and sheriff’s office will meet in person Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

Final decisions aren’t expected to be made at that meeting, but attendees will have a chance to discuss and hopefully get closer to a plan with the fair just two months out.