You come home to campus after a late movie with a friend and park in the same lot you always do. You go to bed soon after so you can be up for work the next morning. It’s just an ordinary day. But when you get to your car in the morning, you see there’s a massive dent in the top, enough to make an officer gasp and say it looks bad.
This is what happened to sophomore media studies major Charles Ireland’s car. His was one of several cars targeted by a seemingly random rash of vehicle vandalism last week that resulted in three dented roofs and a smashed windshield.
“It looked like someone had been picked up and thrown on my car,” said Ireland. He describes the damage as “a body-sized depression on the roof,” the result of an action he attributes to a prank.
Ireland promptly reported the damage to the USM Police Department but the police could only offer limited support. Unable to provide many options to victims of random car vandalism, the police instead respond by taking preventative measures.
The rash of vandalism last week was not an isolated event. Detective Sgt. Ron Saindon noted “a lot of problems with damage to motor vehicles this year.” Most of these problems are petty acts of criminal mischief, such as keyings and breaking of windows and side mirrors. The soft-top to this reporter’s vehicle was slashed. Burglaries are also common.
Since the winter, the USM Police Department has issued two bulletins advising vehicle owners to hide valuables and report suspicious activities to the police. Between this and increased patrols, police have seen a reduction of these incidents. Still, they happen, and Saindon stressed community information as the key to stopping further crimes.
“The police can’t be everywhere,” he said. “The best tool we have is the community and police working together.” Police suspect that most of the incidents are the responsibility of an individual or a small group of people. Reporting suspicious activities is one of the encouraged preventative measures. He pointed out that informants could log onto the USM Police Web site and use the online crime reports form to submit tips anonymously (http://www.usm.maine.edu/police/silent_form.htm).
As for Ireland, he’s waiting on his insurance company to call him back. The incident falls under his comprehensive insurance, and he might not be able to get reimbursed without losing his insurance. And in that case he foots the $2,000 bill.
“There’s nothing really I can do,” he said. “It’s a random and senseless act. I’m more annoyed with people and culture in general – that people could find that an okay thing to do. That’s six months work so someone can show off for two minutes in front of their friends.”