The Tulsa State Fair starts Thursday, and Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado shared some tips to stay safe.
Sometimes kids get lost in the big crowds. Last year, deputies working the fair reunited 145 lost kids with their families.
"And although that's successful and that's a stat that we certainly are proud of, what I would like to do next year is be able to say, 'You know what? We didn't have a single incident of a lost child,'" Regalado said.
If your kids are old enough, have them memorize your cell phone number so a deputy who finds them can quickly call you. Deputies will again be handing out wristbands you can write your phone number on, too. Snap a picture of your kids on your phone when you get to the fair. Then, you can show deputies exactly what they look like if they get lost.
The area for lost and found children will be at the west end of the midway.
More than 1 million people attended the Tulsa State Fair last year. With all those people and all those cars, break-ins and auto thefts can easily happen.
"Keep all valuable items in your trunk, and if you will have on your person information like your car tag number, make and model of your vehicle, so that if you are the victim of an auto theft or something of that nature, you'll have that information ready so that we can take a report and, hopefully, recover your vehicle and your items," Regalado said.
Fairgoers need to be aware of first responders at work, too.
"When they're performing their jobs, if you will stand back and give them room to do their jobs effectively, that could mean somebody's life, especially in a health emergency," Regalado said.
The Tulsa State Fair runs through Oct. 8.
