Santa Clara County

Sheriff's Department Will Patrol Popular Uesugi Farms Pumpkin Patch

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department will provide visible security at a popular South Bay pumpkin patch after previously declining to do so.

On Tuesday, NBC Bay Area reported that organizers at Uesugi Farms, just outside of Morgan Hill, wanted to hire uniformed Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies to stand guard at the festival, but the sheriff's office said no. The pumpkin patch organizer now says the sheriff's department has agreed to allow uniformed officers to patrol the festival grounds, though it's not the general policy.

The Uesugi Farms pumpkin patch is located just a few miles from the site of July's mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Organizers of the pumpkin patch pushed for patrols to help calm the nerves of people who might feel uneasy being in large crowds.

About 45,000 people are expected to visit the festival each weekend up until Halloween. The festival opens Saturday.

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