Despite having the largest crowd in decades, patrols around the Oregon Country Fair last weekend did not experience more crime than usual.
Lane County Sheriff’s Office worked with fair staff to mobilize overtime patrols around Veneta. Their goal was to promote traffic safety as lines of vehicles flocked to the 50th anniversary fair.
Sergeant Carrie Carver says the presence of the patrols alone was helpful.
“Really just being a presence out there in the community is a deterrent to some of the things that people might participate in that might end up causing crash injuries and fatalities, such as not wearing a seatbelt, speeding, distracted driving, things like that,” says Carver.
This year, Lane County Sheriff’s Office partnered with Eugene and Springfield Police Departments and Oregon State Police for these saturation patrols.
Despite there being more than 58-thousand people coming and going over the weekend, there were fewer than 25 arrests or cases involving drugs or other criminal activity during the Country Fair.
