Awareness can head off mischief

To paraphrase the classic movie line, "If you build it, someone will come along and tear it up." Quite honestly, when you're doing everything you can to put the best face on a community smack in the middle of flat, less-than-scenic territory, ever-present vandalism is downright disgusting.

But it's a fact. And it spoils the fun for everyone. Plus it's costly.

The problem of criminal mischief is especially troubling when equipment in parks designed to entertain children turns into a target for vicious behavior.

The prime example is Sherwood Park, where some neat and unique objects were created for the amusement of all.

Now we see Prairie Pete, the giant concrete prairie dog statue, looking as if he got the worst end of a bar fight. His face has been mutilated. An arm is missing and his midsection has been smashed and filled with trash.

Nearby, the purple octopus that has been a delight for generations of kids is a little worse for wear. Parks workers often have to patch wounds in that concrete creature as well.

But it doesn't stop there. Public parks across the city are frequent targets of vandalism. Lots of graffiti is left behind.
Of course, the damage is not only revolting, it is an expense that eventually comes out of taxpayers' pockets. After all, Prairie Pete's scars have to be doctored and obscene writing in areas frequented by children needs to be removed.

Parks director Steve Patton can't put an exact price tag on damages vandals do to do public property, but says it runs into the thousands of dollars each year.

Among the popular targets is Memorial Gardens Park that surrounds the old buffalo wallow on 42nd Street. Years of planning went into that project. It was such an ambitious undertaking that private individuals were moved to donate bronze works of art to enhance the appearance of the park.

Now, it's not unusual for someone to come along and steal one of the statues or rip off part of one and throw it in the lake.
Naturally, many of the offenders are young people who have nothing better to do.

Police can't be everywhere at once, but frequent patrols in trouble areas do increase the chance someone will be caught. And if that happens, it would be appropriate for part of the punishment to be painting and otherwise erasing previous vandalism damage.

Since the money to repair vandalism comes out of our pockets, the public has a chance to curtail some of the mischief by keeping an eye out for suspicious behavior. Those living around our parks could be a big help by making a special effort to do random checks on the parks and report anyone who has ill intentions.

It's not a simple thing to discourage people who have no regard for others' property. But a little more vigilance by a lot more people might make this gutless crime of vandalism more risky for the perpetrators.

Anyone who has a semblance of pride for our little arid corner of the planet would love to see a few hoodlums get their comeuppance.