Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons delivered an unprecedented report following the 2025 Pensacola Interstate Fair, announcing that despite nine days of large crowds, deputies made zero arrests at the annual event.
- “This is the kind of report that you love to give, right?” Simmons said. “For nine days with what looked to be really good crowds, we didn’t have to make a single arrest. I don’t know if anyone can remember a time where we’ve had the fair go that well, that many thousands and thousands of people that went there.”
The sheriff attributed the success to enhanced security measures implemented before the fair opened. The sheriff’s office deployed substantial resources to ensure safety at what Simmons described as “probably the largest thing that we do with regards to that fair that has a couple of hundred thousand people going through there.”
Security Measures
Security measures included an extensive law enforcement presence. “They will have around 50, sometimes 60 deputies, depending on the date and the time that they are working on the fair. That’s boots on the ground,” Simmons explained. “But we’ll also have six of our video platforms there, and we’ll have drone capabilities. Our mobile command bus will be there.”
Working in coordination with fair organizers, the sheriff’s office implemented new security protocols, including a ban on concealed and open carry weapons and a clear bag policy similar to concert venues.
When asked if the enhanced monitoring contributed to the peaceful outcome, Simmons confirmed its effectiveness. “I do think that it was a factor,” he said. “Because we put the information out and our cameras are right near next to the entrance, so even if you forget about it, you’re sitting there and you’re waiting in line and you’re looking around and you see all these cameras, you see all the deputies in uniform and you think, you know what? This might not be the place.”
While deputies did handle some incidents, the interventions remained minimal. “We had some people that get angry. We had to de-escalate some things. We had some arguments, but we were able to go our own way, kick a couple of people out of the fair,” Simmons noted.
The sheriff emphasized that the success reflected both preparedness and community cooperation. “It was probably because of the teamwork, probably because of the fact that the people decide that this is a place for family fun and not for foolishness,” he concluded.
