I think that organizing community involvement to police vandalism would be an interesting and unique challenge. Vandalism is by no means strictly an issue in large cities; it exists in smaller communities, and I think that element of that particular environment could give the residents opportunities large cities do not have.

Vandalism is a different sort of crime, in that it is not about gain, but resentment and other, personal issues. To that end, I would try to first assemble as many concerned residents as possible, to engage in an open forum and discover everyone’s views on the problem. This is crucial; we would need to separate those who saw the problem as a correctable situation from business owners expressing anger. We would also need everyone to be forthcoming about how family members, such as teenage children, may be involved. I think the community stands the best chance of easing the problem if all concerned see it as an expression of discontent and/or frustration that can be addressed, rather than as a crime to be chased down.

I would then set up rotating foot patrols, which would largely consist of at least several people “taking walks” at strategic times. Everyone must feel secure, and the presence of others, with everyone equipped with cell phones, would serve to ease any potential conflict. I would strongly urge that, should an act of vandalism be witnessed, no confrontation occur, at least in the initial stages of these patrols. The idea would be more to assert a non-threatening, non-adversarial community presence. My strategy, in fact, is that this kind of sustained effort would greatly reduce the vandalism, as the crime is usually committed unseen. By bring the vandalism “into the daylight” through its being witnessed – without being confronted or attacked – a major motivation of the crime is removed. I firmly believe that, the more the community takes to its own streets in a non-aggressive manner and establishes a steady presence, we will see the incidence of vandalism drastically reduce.