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Prevent Vandalism at Water Treatment Centers

Prevent Vandalism at Water Treatment Centers

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The United States supplies its citizens with some of the safest drinking water in the world. Though many of us take this necessity for granted, many countries throughout the world do not have access to safe, uncontaminated drinking water. Much of the U.S. safe water supply is due to the implementation and operation of its water treatment centers.

Sources for drinking water are often subject to contamination by disease-causing microbes. These waterborne microbes, such as E. coli and Cryptosporidium, have the ability to cause debilitating sickness and disease. U.S. water treatment centers use a variety of different methods of water treatment processes to remove these types of dangerous pathogens in order to provide communities with safe drinking water.

Water treatment centers are starting to become a target for many would-be vandals who may be looking for a new swimming hole or to damage expensive equipment. Although vandalism is commonplace virtually everywhere, it exists as a very serious, potentially disastrous threat to a community’s water supply. Vandalized water treatment centers can easily lead to water contamination by means of damaged treatment hardware, rendering the purification process incomplete, thereby exposing the public to potential health threats.

Metal thieves, who often steal copper wire and other copper-containing equipment for profit, have been known to target remote utility centers searching for scrap materials. In addition to contaminating water supplies, the damage sustained by these thieves can end up costing millions of dollars in repairs.

Trying to prevent acts of vandalism at water treatment centers is difficult due to their often isolated placement. Water storage tanks are also maintained on rural hillsides in order to supply water pressure to the communities below. With little civilian oversight to deter vandals from trespassing and potentially damaging expensive equipment, there is little chance the suspect would be caught. Vandalism Cameras are necessary to protect the community’s source of drinking water.

Is your park facing loitering problems and vandalism?

Deter Vandalism and Loitering in Parks

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Is your park facing loitering problems and vandalism?  Know the key indicators to help solve this problem and what you can do to help your park.

It is not very difficult to discern when a storefront is open for business.  Key indicators often include well-displayed business hours, which are commonly posted next to the main entrance.  Visible sales personnel may signal that a shop is still open for business or an unilluminated sales floor of a store might signal that store is closed.  A line is drawn with store and mall hours being clearly visible.  However, indications of a closed property are not always so obvious.

Most city-owned parks list the rules of the area with signs.  These include allowable recreational activities, dog leash laws, and designated parking spaces.  But the time at which the park closes is sometimes ambiguous.

Generally, as a rule of thumb, city parks tend to close around dusk.  This grey area regarding the park’s operating hours can lead to some oblivious teens or young adults stumbling into an ungated recreational location after hours, imbibed with strong drink and an unwavering drive to wreak havoc, which turns into vandalism. These delinquents are now guilty of committing several misdemeanors, including illegal loitering, public intoxication, and vandalism if the damage is still within the misdemeanor penal code.   If the damage is extensive, the misdemeanor becomes a felony.

Vandalism is an extremely common occurrence in parks after hours. Vandalism most often occurs when a vandal has a good chance of not being caught.  Less public visibility and poor outdoor lighting make a park an easy target for a potential vandal who’s loitering late at night.

There are, however, a few things the Parks Department can do to limit this occurrence:

  • Post Clear Signs– signs displayed near the entrance and exits in well-lit areas let potential lingerers know the park is closed. Be sure the signs are visible and the hours are clearly stated.
  • Motion Sensored Lighting- the more lighting an area has, the less likely vandals will remain. Motion sensored lights save energy while illuminating only when the detector senses motion.
  • Monitoring– regular sweeps conducted by the police department, security guards, and park rangers deter loitering and reduces nuisance crimes.
  • Vandal Resistant Materials– to be used in graffiti prone areas. They are simple to clean if graffiti does occur.
  • Vandalism Deterrent Cameras– cameras designed to stop vandalism are very effective and should be placed in strategic areas where crime is most likely to occur.
Graffiti on metro

Vandalism- A Community Crisis

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Witnessing an act of vandalism can trigger anger in even the most gentle citizens, and it can leave a lasting effect. Why?  Because, vandalism suggests gang activity in the area, makes people feel victimized, and causes economic hardships for the community.

 

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the purpose of gang graffiti is to glorify the gang. And in the same article, the police state violence is associated with gang graffiti, because an entire neighborhood will be associated with the gang graffiti, making them a target for rival gangs.  Vandalism in the form of graffiti is used by gangs and can spread rapidly in gang-controlled areas. These areas become something similar to a public message board displayed in high-traffic areas. And the problem grows rapidly out of control if not corrected quickly.

 

Graffiti vandalism can also make people feel unsafe. In a survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics 1 in 5 Australians perceive  graffiti to be a social disorder problem in their local community.  The idea that destruction of property and graffiti are social disorders leads the minds of citizens to think incivility within a community.  This raises concerns that there will be an occurrence of a more serious crime, and that the area is not safe. If the community withdraws in fear, social controls which can keep vandals at bay are weakened.

 

The obvious financial cost associated with clean up also takes a toll on the community.  According to the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing (POP Center), it is estimated that the cost to clean up graffiti in the United States is $12 billion a year. Tax funds are used to pay for damage repair caused by vandals on city owned property. A community can suffer neglect if these tax funds are not used for their intended purpose. Schools, parks, and public transportation all suffer when an act of destruction is committed on city property. The list goes on and on.

 

Actions to stop the destruction of property,  curtailing the gang activity, taking control and protecting our communities, must be taken before serious crimes take over the city. We have a responsibility to stop the broken windows and graffiti in our community. Be a part of the solution and learn about the preventative measures you can take against vandalism.

 

Cost of Vandalism

Cost of Vandalism

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What is vandalism?  According to Securipedia.eu, VANDALISM is the criminal act of willfully destroying or defacing property. According to an article in the Chron, the U.S. Small Business Administration states a single incident of vandalism costs on average $3,370.  Besides the business suffering, a possible consequence of  vandalism to the consumer is the increased cost of goods.  If you think about it, loss does not happen in a vacuum.  Eventually to stay in business, businesses will have to raise their prices to cover the cost of painting over graffiti or buying a security camera. According to the same article,  another unwanted consequence is the lack of jobs, goods and services, because any new business will think twice before they invest in an area where there are signs of vandalism or graffiti crime.

 

Besides the dollar amounts, vandalism can create another cost.  This second cost is more lasting as it affects the social well being of the entire neighborhood. An obvious example of this impact is vandalism creates a less than appealing neighborhood, which could cause a reduction in the value of the houses. Evidence of destruction of property certainly decreases the appeal, enjoyment and pleasure of the communities where people live and work. Unfortunately, cleaning up an area of destruction and graffiti is very difficult, as the neighborhood becomes a target and is hit again after the clean up.

 

Law enforcement experts dealing with nuisance crimes on a daily basis are quick to point out that vandalism is a true gateway crime. According to “Into the Abyss: A Personal Journey into the World of Street Gangs”,  Gangs use graffiti to communicate to each other threats, territory and even murder targets.  The marking of territory and the sending of messages indicates some type of organized crime.   Law officers understand this and the effects these crimes have on the community and how this problem can lead to more serious crimes.  Unfortunately,  most communities do not have the resources to deter and apprehend the perpetrators of  nuisance crimes.