CANTON, Ohio — Thousands of football fans are expected to visit Canton this week for Hall of Fame festivities, and city leaders say they'll notice an increased law enforcement presence throughout the celebration.
The Canton Police Department announced it will strictly enforce the city's juvenile curfew ordinance during major Hall of Fame Week events, including First Friday in downtown Canton and the Hall of Fame Grand Parade.
Officials are reminding families that the juvenile curfew begins at 9 p.m. within the city's Downtown Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA), including Centennial Plaza. The curfew begins at 11 p.m. in other applicable areas of the city, including the Hall of Fame Grand Parade route.
Parents or guardians of unsupervised juveniles found violating the curfew could face citations.
Police say the goal is to provide a safe, family-friendly environment while reducing disruptions during one of the city's busiest weekends of the year.
Visitors can expect to see uniformed and plainclothes officers, K-9 units and additional security stationed at Hall of Fame Village, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, downtown Canton and along the parade route.
"To come to our Fan Fest, to visit the museum, to go to the Hall of Fame Game or the Enshrinement or the Concert for Legends, they are going to be surrounded by uniformed officers, plain clothes officers, K-9 units," said Rich Desrosiers with the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "We're comfortable we have everything in place to make this a safe, fun, family-friendly environment."
The city is also implementing additional security measures at Centennial Plaza during First Friday. The plaza will be enclosed with temporary fencing, visitors will enter through staffed security checkpoints with magnetometers, and unaccompanied minors will not be permitted inside the gated area.
Despite the added security, visitors say they're simply excited to experience football history.
"It was good, it was neat," said Buffalo visitor Bob Ciepiela after touring the Hall of Fame. "A lot of stuff, a lot of the former Bills are in the Hall of Fame."
Pat Ciepiela continued, "it was interesting, I thought it was for him not for me, but it was good, I like going back and seeing what everybody did and things like that."
