School officials in an El Paso district where high school stadiums are getting new artificial turf are keeping the stadium lights on at night to deter thieves and vandals.
The action is a response to a fire set May 18 to a patch of newly installed turf at Hanks High School. The district's security chief, J.R. Martinez, tells the El Paso Times the lights make it easier for security guards and provide better images for security cameras.
Images showed two boys on the Hanks field that night setting the fire. They got away as an officer tried to put out the blaze.
It's among seven Ysleta high schools getting artificial turf -- at a cost of $14 million -- as part of a bond issue voters approved last November.
