A couple of weeks ago my neighbors and I were the victims of vandalism. Yes, even a member of your local law enforcement agency can fall victim to a crime. Leaving for work at 6 AM I walked out of the house and discovered two vehicles in my driveway with multiple flat tires. Even without the keen investigative skills of a police officer, I knew this wasn�t a coincidence. On closer inspection I found puncture marks in the tires.
I quickly went out to the street in the hopes of seeing the guilty party running from the area so I could give police a good description. I wasn't that lucky. What I saw as I looked down the street were several more vehicles with flat tires. I spent the next hour notifying my neighbors of their damage, making a police report and changing my tires. By the end of the day, Lodi PD received 26 reports of tire damage in the same area of the City. It is unknown how many additional victims decided, for whatever reason, not to make a police report.
Vandalism is the willful, wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others. It is also referred to as malicious mischief, which leads some people to believe that it is not a "real" crime. Be assured, vandalism is a crime and is punishable by imprisonment of up to 1 year, or a fine of up to $1,000, or both. If a juvenile is responsible, a parent or guardian may be held liable for payment of the fine.
Property damage is costly to everyone. Schools pay millions of dollars each year to clean up graffiti, repair buildings and replace vandalized equipment. Local governments (through taxpayers) pay bills for broken street lights, stolen signs, and graffiti. Businesses pass on the costs of repairing property damaged to their customers through higher prices.
Lodi PD has responded to 801 calls to report property damage since January of 2004.
To find out who vandalizes and why, I went to the most knowledgeable source we have, Police Officers. Their response: some vandals commit their crimes alone, others work in groups; most vandals are young people-from grade school age to young adults. Why? Nobody really knows, but the most common responses were boredom, defiance, and the influence of friends.
For victims it can be about more than money. People feel angry, hurt and sometimes frightened when something of theirs is destroyed for no reason. Vandalism claims other victims as well; a car crash because a stop sign was stolen; someone in need of help can't dial 911 because the pay phone is broken; people get lost because street signs are missing or covered by graffiti.
If you think you have never suffered a loss because of vandalism, think again. Every bit of graffiti you see, missing street signs and damaged City parks has cost you as a taxpayer. This one property damage incident alone cost the City of Lodi two replacement tires, as one of the vehicles damaged is a City vehicle and the cost affects us all.
Contributed by:
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Jeanie Biskup