WOODLAND -- As family and friends gear up for the Yolo County Fair, organizers and the Woodland Police Department are enacting new security measures.
"Probably the biggest thing we will see is that we will be checking people at the gate," fair CEO Bart Vannucci said.
Vannucci says the fair staff is reexamining security and safety measures for people attending to show awareness to recent incidents of violence.
Including a mass shooting last Sunday at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, where three people were killed after a gunman opened fire on a crowd in the park.
"As we well know, something happened in Gilroy a little while ago and that's pretty close to home," Woodland Police Officer Rodney Fitzhugh said. "We've been making preparations for this and this isn’t something that is brand new, but it’s unfortunate that something like that happened and we have to step up our game."
Gilroy police say the gunman, 19-year-old Santino Legan, was able to use a tool to cut through a fence neighboring the festival to gain access late last month.
Vannucci says officer will be looking at all areas of the fairgrounds that may be problematic.
"We are going to reduce the places where you can enter and exit the fair," Fitzhugh said. "Also this year we will be checking bags and you will be subject to a metal detector at the gate."
Although Vannucci says these plans were already in place prior to the Gilroy mass shooting, officers will be standing by ready to help.
