Local vandalism spurs use of more surveillance cameras

Vandalism is not a new problem in south Lincoln County, but what can be done when first graders are engaging in destructive behavior?

That was the case earlier this summer when some very youthful vandals made their way inside Libby’s Lee Gehring Field. They got into the bathrooms and proceeded to smash sinks and toilets, rendering them unusable.

“We never imagined kids that young breaking fixtures,” Loggers Legion coach Kelly Morford said. 

The fixtures were replaced in time for last weekend’s Big Bucks Tournament, but even that didn’t go off without a hitch.

Someone entered the stadium and stole a laptop computer and cables used to power the sound system.

While nothing was destroyed, Morford was disappointed.

“It’s frustrating it keeps happening, but we got all our cameras up now, so the next time it happens, we’ll get ‘em,” he said.

Dating back to last summer, Libby has had more than a few instances of criminal mischief and Troy has not been immune, either.

Benches on Libby Creek were pushed into the waterway last summer while fires were set in some bathrooms in Riverfront Park. The old Libby High School has more broken windows than it did few years ago while others have pulled the guards loose on the old haul bridge safety railings.

Last summer, some graffiti vandals painted Lincoln County's "Rich, Rare and Remote" sign that greets motorists on U.S. 2 entering the county from neighboring Flathead County

Last weekend, someone tore two flower planters from their hangers on a pole on Mineral Avenue in Libby.

In Troy, Roosevelt Park was the site of some recent incidents. A young woman’s car was damaged and some individuals have been shredding the gravel parking lot at the park. There was also a report of school buses being vandalized.

J. Neils Memorial Park has been targeted numerous time over the years.

Lincoln County Maintenance Director Joe Nagle detailed some of the damage the park has seen over the years.

During the winter, Nagle said some kids came in on foot, cut off the locks on an electric box and turned off the breakers that supplied heat to bathrooms in the Carl “Tubby” Lindstrom Memorial Building.

Without heat, the pipes froze and burst. Standing water caused extensive mold in the facility.

Insurance would cover $28,000 in cleanup and Nagle said he was pleased he could find contractors to do the work with insurance covering the costs.

Four years ago, the concession stand at the soccer field was damaged. Nagle’s list seemed endless. It included repeated instances of porta potties being turned over, a pile of roofing material dumped in the park, people driving over decorative bushes when the snow is deep, doing doughnuts in the parking lot at the rodeo grounds, a bench chained to large stakes that someone still managed to turn over and other instances.

“I’m fed up with it,” Nagle said. “We had to spend several thousand dollars to order a bunch of cameras for surveillance.”

Nagle said a StarLink WiFi system has been installed and cameras will soon be in place. The cameras cost $6,000 and installation will probably double the cost.

“Sixteen cameras will be going up, so we hope that will be a deterrent,” he said. “I also saw a deputy patrolling in the park recently, too.”

A new sign was put up at the park entrance, hopefully alerting people to the presence of the security equipment.

“We’d prefer to not lock it up at night, but we’ll see.”

A check of the most recent call log from the county Sheriff’s Office indicated a naked man was playing basketball at J. Neils and a suspicious vehicle check by another deputy.

Officials hope security cameras will discourage some of the vandalism and provide identities for those who decide to engage in destructive behavior.