Police say Renaissance Festival strains patrol resources; chief recommends overtime and stronger event oversight

The Price Police Department told the council that the recent Renaissance Festival required substantially more police resources than anticipated and said it will likely ask for additional overtime funding during the next budget revision.

"I will have to request probably another 3,000 next year for strictly overtime for another crew of officers," the chief said during the meeting while describing incidents at the festival.

The chief said most incidents involved teenagers and that the size and nature of the crowd produced simultaneous urgent calls in other parts of the city — including an arson call and a vehicle fire — which stretched available officers thin. "We had 1 cop in the park and come to find out sergeant Sackett's crew ended up having to spend an entire 2 days in the park," the chief said, describing a situation in which patrol officers were not available for other priority calls.

Police said the presence of multiple officers in teams proved effective during larger events such as International Days, and that similar staffing should be considered for Renaissance events as they grow. The chief said vendor retention was affected: some vendors told organizers they would not return because of fights and thefts. He also said city staff were sometimes pulled into physical altercations while trying to intervene.

As a potential policy response, the chief proposed drafting an ordinance to require parental supervision or set age restrictions for unattended minors at large public events. "Possibly writing up an ordinance specifying the age limits on when children can be in the park," he said. "At least that would give us a little leverage. If they're not supervised, we can tell them to leave our public park." City officials noted enforcement practicality challenges and the potential for repeated expulsions to be ineffective if not paired with adequate staffing and parental cooperation.

Chief and staff described the immediate operational need as a budget and planning item rather than a finalized decision: the department will likely request the overtime amount when the council takes up mid-year budget revisions. "I told Lisa that more than likely I'm going to have to add that," the chief said about the overtime request.

Council members asked whether the issue should be handled through budget augmentation or event planning changes. The chief emphasized that police presence and proactive monitoring are effective deterrents and that having dedicated crews during large events allows patrol officers to continue responding to other city calls.

No ordinance was proposed for adoption at the meeting, and no formal vote took place. The chief requested clarification to provide guidance to officers who had heard rumors about larger organizational changes; staff described previous budget meetings about revenue options as brainstorming, not decisions about contracting or disbanding departments.

The council and staff framed next steps as: consider a budget amendment request for overtime at the mid-year revision and evaluate event staffing levels and potential policy language for supervision requirements at public gatherings.