Photo Courtesy South Bend Police Chief Lucas Stigall - Along with vandalizing the Cheney Park bathroom, a trailer was rolled into a ditch near the ballfield.
Vandalism took place at the Cheney Park bathroom sometime late Thursday night or early Friday morning. A trailer that carries a portable pitcher's mound was found in a ditch nearby.
"The bathrooms were vandalized, and this is not the first time this has happened," South Bend Police Chief Lucas Stigall told the Herald Monday morning. "It has happened three or four time in the last six or seven months. We've had it happen with all of our bathrooms, usually when they are not locked."
South Bend Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jon Tienhaara talked with the Herald about the senseless incident.
"We did have some unfortunate happenings at Cheney Park," Tienhaara said Monday morning. "This is not the first time, as there have been repeated incidents of vandalism, particularly on the building adjacent to the ballfield. In the past, the bathrooms have been a target whether they are locked or not. The field was not vandalized, but the portable pitching mound was messed with. Everything else appears to be fine.
"I appreciate the South Bend Police Department and Officer Johnson in their response and documenting the incident," Tienhaara added.
The violence is despicable and difficult to comprehend as to why it occurs.
"This really is unfortunate,' Tienhaara said. "Between the school district and the city, grant funding exceeding $1 million dollars has been invested to develop Cheney Park over the last couple years. There have been some recent questions asked as to why the ball field is not unlocked and freely open at all times of the day. This incident and previous ones like this provide some of the reasons we keep the field locked. That being said, we have more people than ever before using the field. Cheney Park is in use almost daily by multiple community youth teams, families, and the schools, and now is available at night with our new lights. If people want to use the field, all they have to do is go through the proper channels. It will remain locked to use outside of this process."
Surveillance cameras are being installed.
"We are in the process of installing surveillance cameras at the field, but the supply chain is delaying some of the components," Tienhaara said. "When fully installed, Cheney Park will have motion activated cameras connected by a line-of-site wireless network connection to our main campus. These cameras will be mounted high and will provide clear detail of activity. That being said, cameras can't always be 100 percent, but we are hoping they will be an improvement."