PUBLIC ASKED TO HELP CURB VANDALISM

  

A recent fire in one of the restrooms at Hohlt Park has local officials asking the public to keep an eye out for suspicious activities in the parks.

Brenham Fire Department responded to a fire Sept. 6, in a restroom off Lounge Road, near the duck pond in Hohlt Park. While the fire did little damage, the chiefs from both the Fire Department and Brenham Police Department said it’s indicative of a larger problem.

“This fire in and of itself was minor.  It basically damaged the plastic garbage bins in the restroom. However, we’ve seen a growth in this type of destructive behavior in recent months, starting with the restroom fire at Henderson Park this past April. It caused significant damage to the facility,” said Fire Chief Ricky Boeker.

Boeker, Fire Marshall Alan Finke and Police Chief Rex Phelps all agree that vandalism has become a growing problem – and an expensive one for city administration.

“The criminal mischief, the vandalism, the fires in not just the parks, but other city facilities have been at the hands of a small portion of our youth engaging in destructive and criminal behavior. It is costing the city – and taxpayers - each time police and fire have to respond to sinks being ripped off of walls, toilets damaged, graffiti sprayed painted everywhere and fires set. It’s impacting our Parks and Maintenance departments as well,” said Chief Rex Phelps.

Dane Rau, director of public works for the city, said damage in the past several months due to vandalism has cost over $2,400. Rau whose departments include both Parks and Maintenance said they have also had incidents of lights being turned on at city facilities when no activity is scheduled. Rau said they have taken the precaution of locking the light boxes; they can now only be opened with a code.

 “The cost is becoming significant. More disturbing is the fact that vandalism is a gateway to more serious crimes. We’ve made numerous arrests in regards to these incidents in recent months, but the problem persists,” Phelps said. “It seems in today’s time the perpetrators are just not as deterred by consequences as they may have been in the past.”

“That’s why we are asking our parents to keep an eye on our kids and not allow them to be swayed by negative influences.  We are asking our community members to join with our COP (Citizens on Patrol) volunteers and police officers keep an eye out for suspicious activities in the parks,” he said.

“We’ve got great facilities here. Take a look at our parks on any given weekend – they’re full. Both residents and visitors alike enjoy the amenities they offer. We just don’t want to lose that or see them destroyed. So please, be vigilant in our parks,” said Boeker.

“We want to work with our community to ensure we educate our residents on how they can play a role in crime prevention.  It puzzles the responsible law-abiding citizen of why anyone would want to tear up or destroy the very amenities provided to them.  It makes no sense. The majority of our parents are involved in their children’s lives; but we have a small section of our society that is either naïve or negligent.  Children and young adults need positive supervision and guidance from responsible adults. If that is lacking, they are at risk of negative influences,” Phelps said. “Really, the message here is please report any activity that seems suspicious or unusual.”

(Story courtesy: Angela Hahn, Brenham Police Information Officer)