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West police department investigates vandalism at city park

Posted at 3:41 PM, May 12, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-12 21:05:08-04

The West Police Department is encouraging residents to report any suspicious activity or any damages they notice at West City Park.

Police Chief Darryl Barton said within the last few months, the park has been vandalized. The gates of the basketball court were taken off, a water fountain was broken off, a bathroom door was damaged and there was graffiti on the firefighter helmet at the playground.

"[The vandalism] did not happen all at one time but over the course of a couple of months or as recently as a week or two ago," Barton said.

Police identified some juveniles responsible for some of the damage, but they are still looking for the others responsible for the rest of the damage.

"There's a sentimental connection to the park to the community. So even though vandalism is going to happen throughout the community, when it happens there it's noticed more," Barton said.

After the graffiti was found, security cameras were installed to allow the police department to keep a close eye on the park. For several of the damages, the police department did not receive reports until weeks after it happened.

Barton is asking the community to report anything they notice to the police department as soon as possible by calling police dispatch at (254) 757-5222.

"Even if it's been called in before, let us know because we want to get the damage fixed first of all so we can have a nice park for the community. Second of all, it gives us a better time frame from when it occurred so we can look at that video surveillance so we can see who may be responsible for that," Barton said.

The park is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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