Pottawatomie County Sheriff Greg Riat and his staff weren’t too busy on Thursday night, and that was just fine for all involved.
“So far, for the number of people here, everybody seem pretty happy”, said Riat. “And what I hear it’s a pretty good concert tonight”. He was referring to opening night headliner Thomas Rhett, who put on a entertaining show that had the crowd dancing and singing along.
The Law Enforcement team charged with keeping things safe at Stampede is made up of several different local and state agencies. Riat mentioned that those agencies all work together. “We’ve got a really good crew out here”, he said. “The Stampede is very good to work with”.
With this being the 20th annual Country Stampede, the Law Enforcement staff have honed their plan. They still see many of the same issues, with underage drinking being one of the most common.
For the rest of the weekend, it looks like Riat and the rest of the hard-working men and women keeping the Stampede safe for everyone will get a helping hand from Mother Nature. “Got some lower temperatures for Friday and Saturday”, said Riat. “That certainly will be a relief for everybody”.
