Peru police chief talks about how to best use police at TBM Avenger show

With attendance climbing each year at the TBM Avenger show, it may be time to reallocate police presence at the event, Peru Police Chief Sarah Raymond said.

“It’s a great event – it’s my favorite weekend of the year,” she said. “However, the amount of people that attend has been kind of a challenge for the police department as far as providing security for the event.”

Raymond told the Peru City Council on Tuesday about the possibility of reusing police presence at this year’s TBM show.

She said that out of the 11 officers scheduled to work the event, all but two usher cars into the parking lot.

“I have two people walking the crowd,” she said, “because resources are allocated to the parking lot. I personally believe that we don’t have enough people providing that security now, especially with the amount of people that are coming to this event – several thousand people are there, especially on Friday.”

Cary Miller, TBM Avenger Airshow Committee chairman, said attendance has grown in the past five years. Four to five years ago, the estimated attendance was 10,000 people, and that number has started to approach 20,000 people in recent years.

“The estimated total attendance for the upcoming 2025 show is 20,000 people,” Miller said. “This number should be reached with some of the new attractions that the airshow committee has brought to the show, such as the F16 Viper U.S. Air Force team.”

Miller said if the weather cooperates, the numbers should be as high as recent years, if not higher.

Alderman Jim Lukosus said he would talk to committee members and the volunteer coordinator and make sure they have enough volunteers to do that job.

“I agree with you 100%,” he said. “It’s not the job of police officers to be directing parking.”

“I know 10 years ago it made more sense – we were just getting cars in and out,” Raymond said. “But now it’s such a big and great event, we just need to be elsewhere.”

Alderman Jason Edgcomb said he wanted to clarify (and didn’t think Raymond was suggesting) that the city will not be reducing police presence during the event but will better use that presence.

Raymond said there still would be cars posted at both entrances to help out where traffic control is concerned.