Security cameras help keep Steele Fairgrounds safe
During the fair, Steele County Sheriff Lon Thiele utilizes an emergency trailer where all the cameras are funneled into for him and other deputies to keep tabs on what’s happening around the fairgrounds. The enhanced security was introduced at last year’s fair and will be upgraded even more this year. Staff photo by Rick Bussler
An Owatonna company has installed security cameras around the Steele County Free Fairgrounds that are designed to make the fair experience safer for everyone.
Minnesota’s largest county fair will be held Aug. 16-21 in Owatonna.
Nolan Baker, owner of Baker Tech Services, said a chance conversation with fair manager Scott Kozelka led to the business relationship. But he’s known Kozelka for much longer.
“I first met Scott when my grandpa did his floors,” said Baker, who graduated from Owatonna High School this spring.
The two first discussed improving the fairgrounds phone system. Baker Tech Services provides a wide range of services for homes and businesses, including wi-fi and networking, data recovery, email hosting, custom computers and security systems.
When the time came to talk security, Baker said, Steele County Sheriff Lon Thiele entered the conversation.
“We talked to Lon, and he said, ‘here’s our problem spots’,” Baker said. “They had three or four spots they wanted to cover.”
Baker’s solution was temporary towers that would allow fair officials to locate cameras wherever they wanted them.
To seal the deal, Baker was invited to a Fair Board meeting and pulled off a very convincing demonstration, with some help from an unwitting board member. He rented a boom truck and installed cameras around the grandstand.
“I pulled it all into Google Earth, and showed them where the cameras would cover,” he said.
One of the board members was late to the meeting, and while everyone was watching the computer screen, they saw him drive in–and run right through a stop sign.
When the board member arrived, he was told about the infraction but insisted that he stopped at that intersection.
“We ran (the recording) back and showed it,” Baker said. “That made the sale.”
This year, he said, the fair board is looking at adding cameras, especially after issues that arose during last year’s Olmsted County Fair. According to reports, a group of 50-60 juveniles showed up each evening and disrupted the event by fighting and generally making the experience unpleasant for fairgoers.
Sheriff Thiele’s goal is to prevent anything like that from happening, and he said the security cameras definitely help with that effort.
“It’s a fantastic idea and a great investment for the fair,” he said. “There’s a lot of logistics that go into providing security at the largest county fair in Minnesota.”
Thiele said he and Chief Deputy Scott Hanson plan for fair security. They worked with Baker and Kozelka to ensure camera placement covered their areas of concern, which he would not identify.
“There are specific areas that I like to make sure a presence is at, whether it’s a camera or a deputy or officer,” he said. “I pride myself in making sure we go where the problem might be and deter it.”
Thiele said the cameras have “definitely assisted in deterring crime” and improve efficiency.
“My team working the fair consists of a lot of different agencies,” he said. “Everybody involved is trying to make sure we have one of the safest fairs around.”