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How Comprehensive Is Your Approach to Vandalism? by John H. Harris, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Western Illinois University Vandalism has been a problem confronting managers of park areas for many years. The magnitude and form of acts of vandalism vary from area to area. The general distraction from the area for the park user and the time and effort for park personnel to repair vandalized objects, however, are common attributes of acts of vandalism. Each act of vandalism to park areas and facilities involves two common components (a person and an object to vandalize). The object may be man-made or of natural origin. The person and the object to vandalize can be thought of as bricks in a wall. The wall is not very functional without the bricks being joined together. What joins the person to the object to vandalize? The answer to this question is opportunity. How does a park manager prevent an act of vandalism? The manager must minimize the opportunity to commit an act of vandalism. The reduction or minimization of the opportunity to commit an act of vandalism may be examined from six different perspectives: Omnipresence, visibility, easibility, object substance, conscience and consequences. Omnipresence The primary purpose of all police patrol systems is the illusion of omnipresence, of being everywhere at the same time. In order for crime to be reduced, the police would like to place all would be criminals in a high risk-taking situation whereby the odds of completing a successful crime are very low. What can the park manager do to increase the illusion of omnipresence? The following are specific situations and specific actions which a park manager might find both real and useful: Situation 1: You do not have formal law enforcement training and have no agency law enforcement personnel. Action: Develop positive relationships between your agency and all police agencies in the vicinity of your land holdings. Rationale: The likelihood of police patrolling your park areas and facilities may be increased with your increased interest and understanding of police problems. Situation 2: You do not have formal law enforcement training and have agency law enforcement personnel. Action: The primary basis of patrol of park areas by your personnel should be on the likelihood of crimes being committed at specific locations at specific times. Accurate records must be kept in order for such a patrol system to be effective (time, location, type of vandalism). Rationale: In order that patrolling may be effective, anticipation of potential trouble areas at the proper time is necessary. Situation 3: You have some law enforcement training and park police and regular police are not available to deal with the act of vandalism. Action: Unless you have been thoroughly trained in police procedures, the best policy may be no action as you may endanger yourself and others, particularly in crimes of violence. Rationale: You should not patrol park areas unless you are properly trained. A little bit of knowledge makes one dangerous, especially in police roles. Situation 4: You can not be at all areas of your park. Action: Involve users of park areas and neighbors to act as additional pairs of eyes. Ask people to help reduce the acts of vandalism. Form a children's club of "Friends of the Park" and ask them as one of their tasks to watch out for the park. Such clubs involve minimal costs (T-shirts, special cards, reduced rates to facilities, etc.) and can reap great benefits. Rationale: There are a number of users who are at the park great periods of time. Many neighbors would be glad to assist in the observance of your park areas. Park personnel cannot be at all places at once and added eyes are necessary if opportunity to commit acts of vandalism is to be reduced. The necessary ingredient is that the park manager must admit that a better job of vandalism prevention will be done if more people are involved. Illinois Parks and Recreation 4 March/April, 1977 Action: Involve local residents in the planning and construction of park areas and facilities. Rationale: When you have spent time and effort in a project, you generally take personal pride in the project. Thus, each person whom you involve is another set of eyes for surveillance. Action: Construct facilities or program activities which encourage adults to utilize park areas. Example: Have benches near playground equipment so they can watch their children in comfort. Rationale: Adult visitors may be additional sets of eyes that would-be vandals would not like to encounter. Action: Potential vandals may be identified. Involve these individuals in park projects that have meaning for them. Rationale: Most individuals will never vandalize those things which they have invested their own time and efforts. Action: Utilize the various forms of media to inform the general public that vandalism does exist in your park areas, the costs involved in the repair of these acts of vandalism, and that the public can assist in vandalism reduction, Interpretive displays with actual objects that are vandalized or pictures of vandalized objects can be constructed. Rationale: Vandalism is very real to park managers and its reality should be made known to the general public. With better understanding of the problems of the park manager, potential for a sympathetic ear when dollar allocations are considered is higher because you have taken the time to keep the public informed about "their" parks. Visibility If you were a potential vandal you would not, at least in most cases, want to be seen while committing an act of vandalism by anyone who might inform the police. What specific actions as a park manager might you take to improve visibility? Action 1: Consider lighting of areas where vandalism is a problem. Increased lighting has been felt to be a deterrent by countless police agencies to lawless acts. Action 2: Planting of vegetation should be considered from the standpoint of a potential place for a vandal to not be seen while he is vandalizing a park facility. The planting of vegetation (where, what, and how dense) should be considered also from a law enforcement perspective instead of only biological requirement considerations. Action 3: Facilities separated spatially from other facilities in park settings increases the problem of visibility. One general area may be viewed more thoroughly than several dispersed areas. The site planner or developer should be made aware that he must consider this fact in the site plan for a proposed park area. Easibility How difficult is it to vandalize a park area or park facility for which you are responsible? There are four general ways of approaching the answer to this question: by yourself, with assistance of other park managers, with the assistance of local police, a combination of the three previously mentioned methods. By yourself: Make a list of every conceivable type of act of vandalism which may be done to your park areas and facilities. Ask yourself the hard question of how easily each act might be accomplished. Take appropriate steps to make each act of vandalism more difficult to complete. Park Professionals Assistance: Ask other park professionals to inspect your park areas and indicate those objects that they feel may be targets for vandalism. Have these professionals suggest ways in which vandalism opportunity might be reduced. Police Assistance: Ask the local police to check all your facilities to see how easily they may be entered. This service is free and specific actions which you should take will be mentioned by the police. Continued on Page 23 Illinois Parks and Recreation 5 March/April, 1977 COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH... Continued from Page 5 Object Substance The material of which any object is made may increase or decrease the likelihood of that object being vandalized. Consider the materials which you utilize in a facility with regards to its ease to vandalize and its difficulty to repair. Increased initial costs of a facility for decreased opportunity for vandalism will pay for itself in almost all instances. Materials should be considered for their ability to withstand the following types of abuse and still be adequately maintained: fire, liquids such as paint, cutting or gouging, shooting. Some specific examples of materials or procedures utilizing materials are given as specific procedures which a park manager might utilize:
1. The substitution of steel posts and beams for wooden ones in the construction of future facilities (assuming aesthetic amenities are not greatly lowered)
Conscience Areas and facilities which are well maintained confronts the individual with the visual reality of his degradations to the quality of the area or facility. Thus, the park manager is encouraged even further to be very thorough in his maintenance in order to potentially reduce vandalism. Consequences If an individual is not reprimanded in a meaningful manner for an act of vandalism, the likelihood for such action to occur again is high. The development of a working relationship between your agency and the local judiciary system is a must. Fines as a form of punishment are often times not the most effective measures to deter similar actions. Judges may issue fines that must be worked out in labor at a certain wage per hour if you have developed a positive relationship between you and a judge. The expenditure of time for most people is much more precious than dollars. Publicize such penalties in the local papers in order that would-be vandals must consider the risk of working for several weekends in park settings. In summary, vandalism is a complex subject that must be considered as a significant factor in the acquisition, development and maintenance of any park area or facility. Without such comprehensive considerations, the problems of vandalism will continue to create greater headaches for park managers everywhere. Illinois Parks and Recreation 23 March/April, 1977 |
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