FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, July 20, 2020
Update on Congress Park Vandalism Investigation
Contact: Commissioner of Public Safety Robin Dalton (518) 587-3550 ext. 2627
An act of vandalism in historic Congress Park was discovered on Thursday, July 16th, with the destruction of the monument to the 77th NY Volunteers, or the Bemis Height’s Regiment, memorializing the Union Soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
In their ongoing investigation into this matter, the Saratoga Springs Police Department have gone through countless hours of surveillance video from in and around Congress park, are patrolling and canvassing the area and have sent several pieces of the statue for fingerprint and DNA processing.
There has been an outpouring of anger over the destruction of such an important piece of our city’s history as well as a commitment to rebuilding the memorial.
The Department of Public Safety was also informed that a cash reward is being offered by a group of private citizens, for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the destruction of the monument. At this time, we have been informed that the reward is in the amount of $2000.
We ask that the public contact the Saratoga Springs Police Department at (518) 584-1800 with any information on this incident.
A picture of the base of the monument, where the statue once stood.