The Calgary Stampede hopes to attract well over a million people this year. Whenever you bring that many people together, there's potential for all sorts of things to happen, both good and bad. To keep everyone safe, Stampede Security and Calgary Police will keep a close eye on things.

Calgary Stampede Security officials say if you head down to the grounds, chances are you will be seen on one of the dozens of remote controlled surveillance cameras.

"The camera operators and our dispatch group keep a close eye at what's going on in the park and they respond and deploy ground units accordingly," said Paul Burrows with Calgary Stampede Security.

More than 100 security officers will log 12 hours a day walking the grounds or patrolling on bikes.

Burrows says public safety is their top priority.

"Anybody who has intentions to impact the enjoyment of our other visitors, those are the people and the individuals we are concerned about, and we are looking for," added Burrows.

The key to their success is a close partnership with the Calgary Police Service (CPS).

The CPS has dozens of officers on the grounds, 24 hours a day. This year they're beefing up security at the front gates with random searches.

"We want to make sure people aren't bringing in any glass bottles, any alcohol, anything into the park they wouldn't bring to other locations lawfully," said Inspector Keith Cain, CPS Incident Commander.

Calgary Police treat the Stampede as its own police district. With as many as 120,000 people on the grounds at one time, they're on the lookout for alcohol, weapons, and those up to no good.

"We certainly treat this as Alberta's third largest city and we're going to do our best to make sure that everyone who comes down here to enjoy themselves can do so in a safe manner," added Inspector Cain.

And if you think the officers have more of a swagger in their step, you're right: it's mandatory for police to wear their black cowboy hats.

"People really like the hat, and we get a lot of attention because of the hats, and I think they look good," commented Cain.

Last year, officers responded to about 100 incidents over the 10 days of Stampede.