By Tom Moor
The South Bend Tribune
SOUTH BEND — It’s not exactly what officials with two local entities expected to see when they opened their mail recently.
In the past week, police have taken reports from the South Bend Fire Department and the local American Red Cross chapter about receiving pornographic images in their mail.
After officials at the central fire department on South Michigan Street reported receiving two such images last week in prepaid envelopes, police were under the impression it may have been somebody with a grudge against the department.
But when the American Red Cross branch on East Jefferson Boulevard reported the same thing over the weekend, police now said they believe the cases are linked, but are at a loss as to why they are being sent and who may be behind it.
“This is an annoyance for them,” said Capt. Phil Trent, South Bend police spokesman. “Nobody wants this stuff unsolicited.
“Why the Red Cross? There’s no explanation, no rhyme to it.”
Trent said one picture was sent to the Red Cross between Dec. 8 to Dec. 10. Officials there did not report the mail until recently, though, after learning in news reports of a similar occurrence at the fire department.
Trent said the photos from both cases resembled each other, but no more information was released regarding the photos.
Police have assigned an investigator to look into the cases.
Trent said the prepaid envelopes belong to the fire department and are usually given to people so they will mail their bills for the department’s ambulance service.
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