Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 2-8-19

Feature
Sheriff Places Safety At Forefront Of 2019 State Fair
This year, the Florida State Fair begins on Thurs- day, February 7th and ends on Monday, February 18th. As the Florida State Fair kicks off, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said his deputies are taking extra steps to ensure safety is the top priority at the 12-day event.
Sheriff Chronister will
be at the Florida State Fair- grounds Welcome Center, 4800 U. S. Highway 301 North, opening day at 6:30 a.m., to help "Flip the Switch," officially launching this year's Florida State Fair along with Governor Ron DeSantis and other state and local government lead- ers.
The event will be followed
by game inspections at 8:30 a.m. conducted by detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and represen- tatives from the office of State Attorney Andrew War- ren.
Inspectors will thoroughly analyze every attraction to ensure they are safe for the public, appropriately licensed and operate in a fair and hon-
SHERIFF CHAD CHRONISTER
est manner.
Fairgoers will see many
off-duty deputies and mem- bers of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Com- munity Action Team (CAT) roaming the busy midway throughout the course of this year's fair.
Sheriff Chronister has dedicated a large number of deputies, including school re- source deputies and mounted patrol deputies, to help mon- itor Student Day in particular on Friday, February 8.
“We want to be visible. We'll have deputies stationed from the parking lots to the midway, from Kiddie Land to
Cracker Country, so anytime anybody needs assistance, there's always a deputy nearby to help.
“We put a lot of time and effort into putting a safety plan in place months in ad- vance, because we want every family to feel safe while they're having fun."
Families can take per- sonal precautions at the fair- grounds as well by:
Making sure your vehicles are locked and no valuables are visible through the win- dows;
Putting cellphones in your pocket instead of holding it to avoid phone snatchers
Keeping purses and back- packs zipped tight and in sight
Always walking in groups, including trips to restrooms Keeping an eye on small chil- dren
Sheriff Chronister
added, "It's so easy for chil- dren to get separated from their families, so take a pic- ture of each of your children with your cellphone before entering the fair. This will give you a current photo of them and what they're wear- ing. Tell your child that if he or she gets lost, to look for a deputy to help them."
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019