By RICK CALLAHAN
Associated Press Writer
INDIANAPOLIS- A spate of violence in Indianapolis that has left 13 people dead in a week prompted authorities to increase security at the Indiana State Fair as the 12-day event got under way.
One of the shootings occurred six blocks from the fairgrounds.
About 300 officers or security guards will be posted at the fair each day, including about 130 state troopers, 40 state conservation officers, and some 50 private security guards, said fair spokesman Andy Klotz. Police bike patrols also are helping. The fair began on Wednesday.
The fair, which averages about 40,000 to 120,000 people daily depending on the day and weather, has been incident-free over the years, he said.
The extra security is part of the city’s response to the slayings, including stepped-up police patrols and extending officers’ shifts by two hours, said Indianapolis Police Department spokesman Maj. Lloyd Crowe.
Nan Johnson, who lives in Lebanon just northwest of Indianapolis, went to the fair with her sister and three nieces. She said she’s been attending for years and has never felt unsafe _ but is uneasy about the neighborhoods surrounding the fairgrounds.
“Once you’re on the grounds you’re fine, but it’s not in a real safe neighborhood. I wouldn’t be out here at nighttime,” she said, gesturing to the gas station where she had stopped.
Even before the rash of killings stunned the city of about 863,000, Indiana’s capital already was on track for its bloodiest year since 1998, when 162 people died. So far this year, 94 people have been slain in Indianapolis.