A couple of things run through your mind
when it’s after midnight, you’re home alone, cop cars are lining your
street, and an officer is going door to door with a flashlight. For
example, am I safe here by myself? And why does my dog bark at the
wind, but was quiet as a mouse while cops were circling the driveway
with flashlights? And why did Zayn really quit One Direction? Okay,
so that last one didn’t actually cross my mind at the time, but it’s still a
valid question.
All joking aside, eleven cars getting vandalized on one street is a serious matter. Three juveniles spray painted
eleven vehicles on Chalfonte Place/Chalfonte Court during the late hours
of June 13, 2015. Some had stripes painted along the sides of
the vehicles while others were covered in offensive words and
drawings, which likely would have prohibited the owners from driving
their vehicles to work or other public places. “They spray painted
from front to back. Three juveniles were caught and released to their
parents. Sgt. Moening and Officers Brown and Peak were instrumental
in responding and completing the investigation in the same night.
They were also able to notify all the owners of the damaged
property,” said Chief Mike Daly.
But here’s the real story: many
neighbors gathered together in the early morning hours of June 14 to
scrub the spray paint off the cars. That’s Fort Thomas for you. It’s
not the kids that were running around the neighborhood late at night
with cans of spray paint vandalizing cars.
I’m not trying to downplay the
atrocious behavior of the juveniles. They absolutely deserve to be
punished for their actions. But at the end of the day, spray paint on
cars isn’t the end of the world. Chalfonte residents were able to
scrub most of the spray paint off their cars following the incident.
Fort Thomas isn’t perfect, and it we never will be. But guess what – that’s okay. What makes Fort
Thomas still a great place is the people helping each other when necessary, and making sure that their neighbors and friends
are taken care of. When something happens in Fort Thomas, we work
together to fix it as best we can. We see it over and over again in
our community and here on Fort Thomas Matters – the community
working together to help a family in need, finding lost pets, raising
money for a worthy cause, and even scrubbing spray paint off cars in
the middle of the night. The list goes on and on.
Some Chalfonte residents decided to look at the incident as a teaching moment for their own children. Explaining the vandalism to their children allowed for an open dialogue about right vs. wrong. “I hope parents use this as an opportunity to talk to their kids about making good decisions, considering the consequences of their actions and taking pride in their community. Vandalism is unacceptable. Period,” said Abbe Kuhn.
The vandalism that occurred on
Chalfonte Place and Chalfonte Court was an isolated incident, but
that doesn’t mean that other people won’t deal with vandalism during
the summer months. So what do we do? Well, speak up if you see
something and have each others’ backs. Summer allows for more
opportunities for incidents like what occurred on Chalfonte. Sgt.
Moening discussed with Chalfonte residents the extra precautions that
are in place for the city. He told the neighbors that there
are multiple police cars and bike cops patrolling the streets each night. I spent many years living in big cities, and the saying “If
you see something, say something” was drilled into my brain. That
same sentiment was reinforced by Sgt. Moening.
If someone hadn’t spotted the juveniles
and called the police, the residents of Chalfonte likely would not
have known the vandalism had occurred until the following morning.
That would have resulted in the spray paint drying completely on the
vehicles, and the 11 cars vandalized likely would have all required
work from professionals in order to fix the damage. Additionally, the
juveniles would not have been caught if the call hadn’t been placed
to 911. That likely would have caused the Chalfonte neighborhood to
be worried about their safety, and concerned that they could be
targeted for more random acts of criminal mischief. Luckily for
Chalfonte residents, the problem was dealt with quickly thanks to the
vigilance of a concerned neighbor.
Fort Thomas Matters will be
investigating further about the vandalism that is occurring in Fort
Thomas. Check back soon for more information on the issue.