Casey to Activate 22 Park Security Cameras After Vandalism

Casey City Council Meeting | July 6, 2026

Article Summary: Mayor Mike Nichols announced roughly 22 security cameras will be placed to cover the entire city park after repeated vandalism, asked the public to report offenders, and directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance holding adults responsible for damage by juveniles.

Casey Park Security Key Points:

• The city already owns roughly 22 cameras, and Police Chief Adam Henderson has a placement layout covering the park from Tyler Street and Eighth Street to Fourth and Monroe streets, including the playground.
• Recent vandalism included someone box-cutting the canopy over the pickleball courts.
• Nichols asked City Attorney Tracy Willenborg to prepare an ordinance allowing prosecution and adult accountability when juveniles are involved.
• Alderman Jeremiah Hanley suggested a fence between the bike park and basketball court to stop conflicts between riders and players.

CASEY — Fed up with repeated vandalism at the city park, Mayor Mike Nichols on Monday, July 6, 2026, told the Casey City Council that security cameras will go up covering the entire park area — and asked residents to start reporting the people responsible.

“I’m sick and tired of whomever tearing up all the work we’ve done down there,” Nichols said. “If you see anybody down there tearing stuff up, screwing stuff up, vandalizing stuff, get a hold of somebody up here at City Hall, and take names as best you can, descriptions, whatever — 911.”

Nichols said he met Monday with Police Chief Adam Henderson and Director of Public Works Ryan Staley, and that the city already has roughly 22 cameras purchased along with a placement layout. The coverage area runs from Tyler Street and Eighth Street to Fourth Street and Monroe Street, he said, taking in the enclosed park — including, in response to a question from an alderman, the playground.

The mayor pointed to a recent incident in which someone box-cut the canopy over the pickleball courts while he was out of state. “We are not going to go light on these folks,” he said, adding that he asked City Attorney Tracy Willenborg to set up an ordinance so that “if we have juveniles involved… we can start prosecuting and holding adults responsible, because it’s time to do that.”

Alderman Jeremiah Hanley, who said he walked the park himself, raised a related fix for ongoing conflicts at the multi-use courts: fencing. He noted fences separate every feature except the bike park and basketball court, letting riders come off the ramps and shoot across the basketball court. “I think a fence between the bike park and the basketball court would solve the bike issue,” Hanley said, adding he has requested a quote for the relatively small section needed.

The council’s newly adopted fiscal year 2027 appropriations include $37,500 for park security cameras, and the police budget carries funding for camera storage systems. Nichols said camera reviews can begin once placement is complete, with police and the public watching the park “as a group.”