Crime numbers down on Stampede grounds
Posted Jul 9, 2015 02:21:08 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
By Stephanie Froese
Mix a large crowd with booze and the hot sun, and the antics some people get into can keep security at the Stampede busy.
However, this year, things are playing out a little differently.
Staff Sergeant Rob Van Gastel told 570 News he is seeing overall crime numbers on the grounds significantly down this year.
Many officers are in plain sight, keeping an eye on cowboys and cowgirls, but plain clothes officers and other layers of security are setup inconspicuously through the crowds.
In fact, Van Gastel said since bag checks were introduced, there’s only really been one year of spiking numbers in recent memory, in 2012.
“The year we had Garth Brooks,” Van Gastel said. “We had a spike in numbers and that’s because of the number of victims involved, because of the Garth Brooks ticket scam that occurred.”
He did note, a double stabbing incident on the grounds Wednesday evening tops the worst of what he has seen in a near decade of work.
