The plan to provide security and safety for downtown Modesto's X-Fest has evolved over the past 11 years, with organizers and police working together months before the annual summer event to identify its successes and needed improvements.
Partnerships have been established, and a variety of local and state public safety agencies now play key roles in preventing crimes and responding to medical emergencies at the music festival, which will feature more than 50 acts on at least 10 stages Saturday.
The event's promoter, Chris Ricci, and other key organizers begin meeting each year in February with Modesto police. They toss around ideas and discuss the logistics involved in handling crowds of up to 15,000.
Ricci said a new issue arises each year, and vendors and organizers work with law enforcement to create an atmosphere that minimizes tension levels.
"The real work is done in the preparation of the event," Ricci said. "The tone we set with our customers is going to make (law enforcement's) job easier."
He said he spends more than $100,000 each year on security and safety, which includes hiring a private security force of about 200 and reimbursing public safety agencies for their services.
The Police Department works closely with organizers and helps them coordinate with other participating agencies. Details, such as where a stage is located, can be crucial, said Lt. Craig Gundlach. For instance, he said having a hip-hop stage too close to the downtown Stanislaus County Jail could present problems for jailers and inmates.
"That can affect their mood or what's going on inside," said Gund-lach, the incident supervisor at X-Fest. "Just adjusting little things like that can alleviate the tension."
Gang members not allowed
Another adjustment over the years has been placing Modesto police and Stanislaus County sheriff's investigators at the entrance gates. Gundlach said investigators are there to spot known gang members and those wearing gang clothing, who Ricci said are not allowed inside.
"The goal is making the event as safe as possible, and part of that is making sure the gang members stay out," he said.
The state Department of Motor Vehicles sends investigators who train security personnel how to spot fake IDs and assist them at the gate, Ricci said.
Gundlach said officials from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control make sure vendors are checking IDs and not serving people already intoxicated.
"It's not the same," Gundlach said. "There are things that have morphed, things that we tried that didn't quite work out."
In the beginning, officials would shut down X-Fest at 11 p.m., forcing attendees to head home. X-Fest now has a "soft close," stopping admission ticket sales at 11 p.m., ending alcohol ticket sales at 11:30 p.m., no longer serving alcohol at midnight and turning off the music at 1 a.m.
"It diffuses a lot of the tension at the end of the event," said Modesto police spokesman Lt. Rick Armendariz. "It's little things that have enhanced the safety."
Modesto police will have about 100 employees working at X-Fest this year, including officers, non-sworn staff members and volunteers. Modesto Fire Department and American Medical Response personnel will provide medical aid.
Gundlach said the festival is divided into four zones with a team of one police sergeant, one security guard and about six police officers assigned to each zone. A fifth team will roam through the event, taking the place of another team busy with an incident.
Probation officers will help
Stanislaus County probation officers also will assist with enforcement inside the festival.
Gundlach said police officers and sheriff's deputies will be on horseback. They can help with crowd control, sometimes clearing a path for officers or attendees.
"People absolutely love those horses," Gundlach said. "It's one more way to interact with the public in a positive way."
The Modesto police Traffic Unit will focus on attendees arriving and leaving the area, Gundlach said. Other officers will patrol the area around the festival to try to prevent vehicle burglaries or catch people in the act.
And, he said, roving saturation patrols will look for drunken drivers.
Ricci said the security and safety improvements are results of coordination between law enforcement and event organizers. He said their efforts help ensure the festival sticks around for years to come.
"We want to make this thing as safe as we can," Ricci said. "If we have a safe event this year, it'll make promoting the event easier next year."
Bee staff writer Rosalio Ahumada can be reached at rahumada@modbee.com or (209) 578-2394.
RSS
E-Mail
Print
reprint or license
