CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools is working with Whitney Young High School to install security cameras at the magnate school following a serious of break-ins and vandalism incidents, according to the school's principal.
Whitney Young's physical education building has been broken into three times in about six weeks, with the most recent break-in causing as much as $10,000 in damage, principal Joyce Kenner said.
Now, the school, at 211 S. Laflin St., will be getting its first series of security cameras to help protect against future vandalism, Kenner said in an newsletter.
The school did not have security cameras when vandals on March 21 stayed in the physical education building past closing time and went on an overnight vandalism spree. Three offices in the building were ransacked, including having windows broken out, computers damage and the contents of drawers and cabinets scattered around, Kenner said.
"There was a lot of damage," Kenner said. "All three windows were broken out. They completely trashed the three offices. Every cabinet, every piece of paper, they trashed."
Chicago Police as well as CPS Safety and Security are investigating the incidents, and Kenner said evidence collected at the scene will hopefully lead to an arrest.
The offices were inside the school's physical education building, which is jointly operated with the Chicago Park District, Kenner said. There are no security guards or security cameras in the building, and Kenner said the building was being used by parks patrons the night before the burglary.
"Anyone can come in and out of that building without our knowledge," Kenner said.
Kenner said she cannot think of a motive for such attacks on the Near West Side school.
"We've never had this level [of illegal activity] before," she said. "We're not sure why they're targeting this building."
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