Delaware Residents Want To Create Neighborhood Watch To Stave Off Vandals

Community leaders said on Wednesday that it was time for residents to send a message to vandals.

Vandals armed with cans of spray paint and bricks have targeted homes and buildings in the community, 10TV's Maureen Kocot reported.

Delaware resident Victoria McCaskey said that she had been in the neighborhood since she was little and was concerned about recent vandalism.

"It's really hard," McCaskey said. "It costs a lot of money to get it fixed and replaced and get everything back in order, and as soon as it's fixed, it's happening again."

City leaders said that they wanted to put a stop to the graffiti before it spreads, operating on the broken window theory that suggests vandalism to a building invites more vandalism.

"I think the idea is that it's a lot harder to be the first person to throw a brick through a window of a building than to be the second or 20th person," Delaware city councilman Andrew Brush said.

Brush said that that he is now trying to create a neighborhood watch, so neighbors can look out for each other and take an active role in protecting their neighborhoods from vandals.

"Obviously, we're not looking for residents to try to enforce the law themselves, we're not looking to create any vigilante situations," Brush said. "People need to stop up. If you see something out of place, say something so we can get it under control."

A meeting about creating a neighborhood watch was scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at Conger Elementary School, located at 10 Channing St.

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