City won’t charge fair for police services

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006

The Great Frederick Fair got a break this year from the City of Frederick. After paying the city between $8,000 and $10,000 for extra police protection in the last three years, the city does not plan to bill for this year’s services.

Mayor W. Jeff Holtzinger (R) is unwilling to charge the fair until the city has a formal reimbursement policy for offering security to outside events.

The city currently charges groups that use police services for non-city-sponsored events on a case-by-case basis. Police and public works departments are not reimbursed for overtime for city-sponsored events such as In the Street or Frederick’s Fourth at Baker Park.

This year’s Frederick Marathon, a weekend event not sponsored by the city, used 83 Frederick police officers. Its organizers paid $44,400 for costs incurred by the city.

Holtzinger acknowledges that the fair presents a unique challenge to police because it is nine days long and takes place on private property. Last year, the Frederick Police Department provided 22 officers for 1,072 hours at an estimated overtime cost of $32,000.

This year, Lt. Shawn Martyak stationed a mobile police command center across the street from the fairgrounds. He estimates 920 hours of service this year from the department.

The mayor is hesitant to saddle the fair with the cost of security, he said.

‘‘I believe the fair is a great community event and has a great history. Among other things, it offers many a glimpse into agricultural life that many city residents would not otherwise get to see,” Holtzinger said.

His colleague, Alderman Marcia A. Hall (D), does not deny the place The Great Frederick Fair holds in the city’s history, but said as the city grows, so does demand for services.

‘‘To just assume because there is a long history of some event getting free police support does not mean that as we grow, that is a right,” she said.

Many Fair Board members have a long association with the city and government in general, which may drive the request for free services, she added.

Paying for police services — which had been free for more than 100 years — galled some members of the Fair Board. Former Frederick mayor James Grimes (R) is vice president of the Fair Board and in charge of security, safety and parking. He opposes reimbursing the city for police services because he believes the fair and the city have a reciprocal arrangement.

‘‘We let police use our facilities throughout the year for training purposes, and we let the city use our park year-round,” he said.

President J.R. Ramsburg Jr. agreed and said the fair should ‘‘never have started paying in the first place.”

The Great Frederick Fair was not charged until 2002. Police Chief Kim C. Dine began imposing fees for extra services when he was hired that year.

‘‘There are a lot of traffic corners to take care of and we are trying to maximize resources throughout the rest of the city,” he said. Police know when the fair is busiest, when traffic is the most congested, when it is likely that fights will break out, so they schedule officers accordingly, he said.

Crime during fair week does go up slightly in and around the fairgrounds, he said, including thefts from vehicles, break-ins and drug activity.

Most of the 23 fairs across the state, including the Maryland State Fair, reimburse local law enforcement for extra police protection. An exception is the Worcester County Fair in Snow Hill.