Vandalism at recreational sites throughout St. Martin Parish has become a big issue for parish officials.

ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- Vandalism at recreational sites throughout St. Martin Parish has become a big issue for parish officials.

Authorities are now heavily enforcing the law in order to prevent this from continuing.

Over the last several months, parish officials said that they have experienced vandalism in many of the recreational areas.

St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars told News 10, "It just disrupts the ability of the public to feel comfortable utilizing our facilities."

New cameras are set up all over the recreational areas to help catch and prevent people from adding to the vandalism. Individuals caught vandalizing will be prosecuted by authorities.

"We are committed to identifying those who misuse our facilities and we are committed to making sure that those persons are fully prosecuted by the authorities," Cedars said.

Cedars encourages the public to continue to enjoy what St. Martin Parish has to offer and believes the installation of the cameras will help keep the parish clean and safe.

"We invite all of Acadiana to visit our parks and our recreational centers. We invite the public to use our boat landings. We have a lot to offer, and I'll be damned if we are going to allow some renegades to disrupt the ability of the public [as a whole] to enjoy and utilize the facilities to the maximum," he said.