Yorktown declares all out war on graffiti, vandals
By BRIAN J. HOWARD
bjhoward@lohud.com
THE JOURNAL NEWS
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YORKTOWN — Despite investigations and recent arrests, vandals and graffiti artists have taken a toll this summer on the local landscape, prompting one town official to declare "all-out war."

"We've dealt with graffiti, but we've never had as much graffiti as we're seeing now," Supervisor Linda Cooper said.

Police, highway and parks officials will meet at police headquarters this morning to develop quick-response strategies to incidents of graffiti and vandalism.

The problem stretches from Cooper's own neighborhood in southern Yorktown to portions of the North County Trailway and across the northern hamlets. Cooper said it was time to declare "all-out war," beginning with immediate cleanup and removal of damage coupled with vigorous investigation and prosecution.

Examples abound, from spray-painted buildings and road signs to serious property damage like what parks officials found yesterday at Sparkle Lake. Over the weekend, someone put a wooden post through the window of a town building there.

Meanwhile, vandals shut down a kiddie pool at Shrub Oak Memorial Park for three days last week, though Parks Superintendent Jennifer Fava declined to say how for fear of copycat attacks.

Handrails are repeatedly torn off the gazebo behind DeVito Field in Yorktown Heights, and skateboarders mar its wooden platform. The skate rink walls at Shrub Oak Park frequently become a canvas for graffiti artists.

"It's a constant battle," Fava said. "You keep replacing it and a few days later they do it again."

Parks employees — along with highway crews — often perform the cleanup and repairs when town property is vandalized.

Such behavior keeps police busy, particularly in the summer months.

"That's what we normally find this time of the year where there's more youth opportunities," police Lt. Donald Schuck said.

On Aug. 15, police charged a 16-year-old from Cortlandt with criminal mischief in connection with graffiti incidents in Jefferson Valley and Mohegan Lake dating to March 12. Released on $250 bail, the youth is due Sept. 12 in Town Court.

On Aug. 9, another youth was charged with vandalizing stop signs and a police speed radar unit. A similar arrest was made in July of a 16-year-old from Mohegan Lake who was charged with making graffiti on buildings, homes and signs in Mohegan Lake and Shrub Oak, and on sound barriers along the Taconic State Parkway.

In July, detectives concluded a 15-month investigation and arrested a suspect in connection with anti-Semitic drawings that were etched into glass doors at Crompond Elementary School.

Officers assigned to various parts of town develop sources and leads over the long term, Schuck said. Nighttime graffiti patrols have even been deployed, and in one case, police catalogued graffiti tags from the parkway barriers and were able to track down the person responsible through a Web page at MySpace.com, a popular social-networking site.

Dana Villanova was heartened by news that officials were treating the problem seriously. Villanova, who lives in Cortlandt, said the graffiti on the parkway sound barriers was particularly embarrassing and off-putting to visitors.

"Maybe it's a stretch to say this, but if potential home buyers are coming here to look at our community, that's a horrible sight," she said. "What perception are potential home buyers going to have?"