News And Information
Security goes smoothly
COMSTOCK Law abiders need not worry about the security at Comstock Rock.
"If you're not breaking the law, why should security matter?" said Joe Beebe of Norfolk. "It's the people who are breaking the law that
should be nervous." Beebe was making his way to the festival grounds from the campground early Friday evening. To get there he
had to walk through a gate and empty his pockets for the security guards.
"If they want to look at my cigarettes, that's fine," he said. "Most of us here are in our 50s, we're too old to cause too much trouble."
Beebe said the security at the 2nd Wind Ranch was as "good or better than airport security" and he had no problem with anything
they were doing.
Security at the gates, in the beer garden and on the campground was being provided by 16 to 18 off-duty corrections and certified law
enforcement officers, said Merrick County Chief Deputy Sheriff Mark Hogue.
The group has been working together at the Comstock music festival for about five years, he said. They pat search people for drugs
and weapons, such as pocketknives, and don't allow alcohol into or out of the festival grounds. That includes not letting
concertgoers carry alcohol into the campground or the parking lot, he said.
The security guards, clad in gray T-shirts, also check that everyone coming onto the festival grounds has the wristband for that day
and they check for wristbands and hand stamps in the beer tents. A person has to be 21 years old and show proper identification to
obtain the liquor wristbands and stamps, in order to comply with the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission's regulations, Hogue
said.
Nebraska State Patrol Lt. Lynn Williams said plain-clothes troopers will be on the grounds throughout the weekend. They are
concentrating on underage drinking while uniformed troopers are patrolling the roads surrounding the 2nd Wind Ranch watching for
intoxicated drivers, speeders and other traffic violations, he said.
One of the biggest changes that has helped cut down on minors drinking occurred last year. The promoters stopped allowing
people into the parking lot and campground without tickets. Williams believes that has curbed the minors who came to the site just
to drink outside of the concert grounds.
The job of keeping the peace has been getting less problematic over the years and the goal is to keep the event family friendly,
Hogue said.
If there are problems, security officers try to handle things discreetly. For example, if a minor is caught consuming alcohol, a
uniformed officer from the Nebraska State Patrol or the Custer County Sheriff's Department is contacted to process the individual
and remove them from the festival grounds, he said. The organizers and Viaro Wireless, the concerts' sponsor, have zero tolerance
for underage drinking, he said.
"They want everyone to have fun but, as (organizer) Henry (Nuxoll) puts it, they need to obey the law of the land," Hogue said.
Those laws are posted at the festival site's entrance for everyone to read.
In addition to the grounds and the beer tents, red-shirted security personnel were hired to keep people safe around the stage.
Sharon Beirow of Custom Security and Investigations in Hastings said the company has about 20 people at Comstock Rock for
the weekend to stand near the stage, observe the crowd and keep people from trying to get too close to band members.
As of Friday evening, people had been respectful, for the most part, she said.
Linda Hennessey of Lincoln and Karen Evans of Bennet planned to stay at the campgrounds all weekend. They've been coming to
Comstock Rock for three years and said they don't have a problem with the security.
"Who else gets to dig in chicks' purses?" Evans said. "We did want hotter guys to frisk us."
Hennessey said the security guards have good senses of humor, which helps to keep things fun.
"One guy said he'd tackle me anytime," she said with a laugh. "We haven't seen any of the (stuff) others told us was going on."
COMSTOCK Law abiders need not worry about the security at Comstock Rock.
"If you're not breaking the law, why should security matter?" said Joe Beebe of Norfolk. "It's the people who are breaking the law that
should be nervous." Beebe was making his way to the festival grounds from the campground early Friday evening. To get there he
had to walk through a gate and empty his pockets for the security guards.
"If they want to look at my cigarettes, that's fine," he said. "Most of us here are in our 50s, we're too old to cause too much trouble."
Beebe said the security at the 2nd Wind Ranch was as "good or better than airport security" and he had no problem with anything
they were doing.
Security at the gates, in the beer garden and on the campground was being provided by 16 to 18 off-duty corrections and certified law
enforcement officers, said Merrick County Chief Deputy Sheriff Mark Hogue.
The group has been working together at the Comstock music festival for about five years, he said. They pat search people for drugs
and weapons, such as pocketknives, and don't allow alcohol into or out of the festival grounds. That includes not letting
concertgoers carry alcohol into the campground or the parking lot, he said.
The security guards, clad in gray T-shirts, also check that everyone coming onto the festival grounds has the wristband for that day
and they check for wristbands and hand stamps in the beer tents. A person has to be 21 years old and show proper identification to
obtain the liquor wristbands and stamps, in order to comply with the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission's regulations, Hogue
said.
Nebraska State Patrol Lt. Lynn Williams said plain-clothes troopers will be on the grounds throughout the weekend. They are
concentrating on underage drinking while uniformed troopers are patrolling the roads surrounding the 2nd Wind Ranch watching for
intoxicated drivers, speeders and other traffic violations, he said.
One of the biggest changes that has helped cut down on minors drinking occurred last year. The promoters stopped allowing
people into the parking lot and campground without tickets. Williams believes that has curbed the minors who came to the site just
to drink outside of the concert grounds.
The job of keeping the peace has been getting less problematic over the years and the goal is to keep the event family friendly,
Hogue said.
If there are problems, security officers try to handle things discreetly. For example, if a minor is caught consuming alcohol, a
uniformed officer from the Nebraska State Patrol or the Custer County Sheriff's Department is contacted to process the individual
and remove them from the festival grounds, he said. The organizers and Viaro Wireless, the concerts' sponsor, have zero tolerance
for underage drinking, he said.
"They want everyone to have fun but, as (organizer) Henry (Nuxoll) puts it, they need to obey the law of the land," Hogue said.
Those laws are posted at the festival site's entrance for everyone to read.
In addition to the grounds and the beer tents, red-shirted security personnel were hired to keep people safe around the stage.
Sharon Beirow of Custom Security and Investigations in Hastings said the company has about 20 people at Comstock Rock for
the weekend to stand near the stage, observe the crowd and keep people from trying to get too close to band members.
As of Friday evening, people had been respectful, for the most part, she said.
Linda Hennessey of Lincoln and Karen Evans of Bennet planned to stay at the campgrounds all weekend. They've been coming to
Comstock Rock for three years and said they don't have a problem with the security.
"Who else gets to dig in chicks' purses?" Evans said. "We did want hotter guys to frisk us."
Hennessey said the security guards have good senses of humor, which helps to keep things fun.
"One guy said he'd tackle me anytime," she said with a laugh. "We haven't seen any of the (stuff) others told us was going on."
Bob Beirow of Custom Security & Investigations works security during the set of World
Classic Rockers. Beirow said their security company was hired to make sure everybody
had a fun but safe time at the Comstock Rock Festival.
Classic Rockers. Beirow said their security company was hired to make sure everybody
had a fun but safe time at the Comstock Rock Festival.
By Sarah Schulz <
sarah.schulz@theindependent.com
sarah.schulz@theindependent.com
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