Local law enforcement officers protect state fair

Benito Martinez is a deputy with the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office but also spends much of his time working at the state fair.

“Really promote a family atmosphere out here at the fair, and everybody’s safe and enjoying themselves,” Martinez said.

The state fair security team has more than 250 employees and many of them are law enforcement officers in Pueblo.

“We have a lot of employees from the Department of Corrections and the Sheriff’s Office that come out and work so they have that higher level of training,” said security director Paul Toth, who is also the patrol captain for the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office.

Toth has worked the fair for more than 20 years and uses his personal vacation time to do so.

“I’ve just been doing it so long, I really enjoy the fair. It’s not so much about making extra money as it is I really enjoy what I’m doing out here,” Toth said.

State fair General Manager Sarah Cummings says having experienced law enforcement officers as a part of the team gives them much-needed support.

“It allows me as the manager and our staff to go in very, very confident with the level of security and the training that the officers have,” Cummings said.

But for officers like Toth and Martinez, it has become a fun part of their yearly schedule.

“The opportunity to work with a lot of different people from a lot of different agencies and see the fair grow and become better than it has been in the past,” Toth said.