With less than three months to go before the Minnesota State Fair officially welcomes back large crowds and a sense of normalcy, state fair officials remain without a security plan to keep those crowds safe.
Minnesota State Fair Police Chief Paul Paulos announced his retirement through an email earlier this month, later prompting fair officials to eliminate the police for entirely.
Now, with time ticking, they must work to fill the law enforcement void before the Minnesota State Fair opens on August 26.
"I can guarantee that safety is always our number one priority," said state fair spokesperson Danielle Dullinger. "We are having ongoing discussions, but we don't anything to share at this moment."
Reports suggest that Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher is part of the state fair's safety plan negotiations. Sheriff Fletcher has stated that the fair would need at least 200 officers, up from 160, to ensure the safety of the millions of guests expected at this year's fair.
Dullinger said on Thursday that state fair police are on duty this weekend as thousands are expected to walk the fairgrounds during the Kickoff to Summer event featuring all the Great Minnesota Get-Together favorites.
"We will absolutely have security roaming the grounds making sure everyone remains safe," Dullinger added. "We do still have our chief of police, his last day is the next couple of days and he will be here through this event."
The fair’s police department had more than 50 employees as recently as 2018.
Not all 50 employees were sworn officers.