‘We’ve got eyes everywhere’: Red River Ex ramps up security

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/06/2023 (817 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The security budget for the Red River Exhibition was nearly doubled this year, in the wake of a 2022 shooting that sent two boys to hospital.

“It was already our largest expense, but now it’s certainly our largest expense by far. It’s very challenging but it’s something that has to be done,” Ex association chief executive officer Garth Rogerson said Tuesday.

The 10-day annual event, which begins Friday, formerly had a security budget of around $150,000. Additional policing and equipment costs have raised the expense to nearly $300,000 this year, Rogerson said.

Roughly 83 per cent of that is dedicated to hiring additional police, he added.

In May, Mocree Chuck Scatch-Dubour, 18, was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in custody for the June 20, 2022, shooting that injured two boys at the west-Winnipeg festival.

During sentencing, court heard Scatch-Dubour shot a 16-year-old youth during an altercation. The bullet exited the teen’s body and struck an 11-year-old in the buttocks.

The teen was initially considered to be in critical condition, but was upgraded to stable following surgery in hospital.

A 17-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl also faced charges connected to the shooting.

The female pleaded guilty to possession of a restricted firearm and was sentenced in April to deferred custody. A charge of aggravated assault against the male was previously stayed.

Although Scatch-Dubour was days short of his 18th birthday when the shooting occurred, Crown and defence lawyers jointly agreed he should be sentenced as an adult.

Rogerson said the fair — established in 1952 — had never experienced such an incident before.

“For me, it was extremely upsetting. You feel like a failure; you feel like you failed the public,” he said, adding the goal is to eliminate the potential for all serious events in the future.

Patrons can now expect a return to pre-COVID-19 pandemic security measures at all fair ground entrances (such as pat-downs and bag checks). Further measures include metal detectors, double-fencing to secure the perimeter, and additional security cameras, with staff monitoring live feeds.

People who are intoxicated before they arrive will not be permitted entry, and some patrons may be subject to random searches, Red River Ex officials said.

Security will be equipped with earpieces and body cameras, and will operate in newly developed patrol zones, allowing them to quickly identify and respond to disturbances.

“Five years ago, you would’ve said, ‘That’s overkill,’ but today (it’s different),” Rogerson said. “This way we’ve got eyes everywhere and we are going to be able to detect things and reposition guards as necessary.”

While he acknowledges the increased measures may inconvenience patrons, the CEO stands by the decision. “It’s necessary so that we can weed out that one person who might be planning to do something inappropriate.”

More than 200,000 people may visit the 200-acre fair grounds west of the Perimeter Highway on any given day; Rogerson compared the infrastructure required to that of a “small city.”

Preparation for this year’s event included consultations with security experts and Winnipeg Police Service, he said. Rogerson even scheduled a visit to Disney World in Orlando to assess its security measures.

The CEO said the Ex hopes to purchase specialized density scanners in the future, which are capable of identifying concealed weapons not made of metal.

The weapon used in last summer’s shooting was a so-called ghost gun, made of plastic that does not react to traditional metal-detecting wands, Rogerson said.

The exhibition begins Friday at 5 p.m. and ends June 25 at 10 p.m.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca