Berea Police to hire new park patrol

BEREA—Vandals damaged sinks and scrawled profanities in the men’s and women’s restroom facilities at the Skate Park earlier this month leading to their closure, according to the parks director.

No arrests have been made to date.

Since the passing of Officer Danny Brewer, who took the initiative to patrol the parks on foot as a public safety officer following his retirement from the force full-time, there has not been a dedicated officer to monitor park activity, according to both the parks and police departments.

“We will be hiring a person beginning in January,” Berea Police spokesman, Officer Austin Scholes told The Edge. The person hired will have a police radio but will not be armed, according to Scholes. The person will also have to file shift reports. The new hire’s zone is still to be determined, but will include the Skate Park, according to Scholes.

Additional damage done to the bathrooms by the vandals include destruction of the soap dispensers that were ripped from the walls, and mirrors being shattered and glass strewn throughout, according to Bloom.

“We just went ahead and closed them because we were about to close them at the end of the month to winterize them anyhow, but I hate doing that to park-goers. I don’t like denying them services,” Bloom told The Edge.

Since the park’s opening in 2010, vandalism has not been uncommon there, according to Bloom. “Unfortunately that park is more prone to vandalism than others, because people like to hang out there after hours,” Bloom said. “And this time of year is when things are worse, I think because it gets darker earlier.”

In recent years, however, Bloom said there has been less trouble thanks to security cameras installed in 2018. “I am grateful for them,” she said.

The cameras are not monitored, but if a crime occurs, such as with these acts of vandalism, the footage is checked, according to Scholes.

Bloom also credited the initiative of Brewer, who would patrol the Skate Park in particular.

“He would walk the parks, and just keep an eye on things,” Scholes also said of Brewer, adding that Brewer also used a patrol car for his rounds.

The Edge reviewed police calls to the Skate Park for this year before and after Brewer’s passing in July. Comparable data for police calls in 2023 was not provided. Prior to Brewer’s death, there were no listed calls for vandalism, referred to in the records.

From July through November 2024, there were two calls to do with drugs, including one where a needle used for injecting heroin was found floating in one of the toilets, according to Scholes. No car break-ins were reported at any time in the data reviewed.

On average, calls for noise disturbance, fights, and unhoused persons using the restrooms for shelter were about the same before and after July 2024, and did not average more than three incidents per each disturbance.

“We try to keep the park well lit, and we’ve never had anything violent happen, thank goodness,’ Bloom said. “But people have to be on guard everywhere now a days.”