Park City Police Lt. Jay Randall says the department normally sees an increase in vandalism in the warmer months.
“Just criminal mischief type stuff where things are destroyed and maybe there’s taggings or there’s different painting of different property, electrical boxes and in the bathroom and around town, City Park and up on the mountain at Park City Mountain,” Randall said.
Randall says people should contact the police if they notice anything.
“We’re a community-oriented policing department, which means we have to rely on the community to be helping us with looking for things that are suspicious and reporting them. And by doing so, maybe we can kind of curb these a little bit and maybe decrease the amount of them.”
Randall says vandals could be charged with criminal mischief. Financial penalties can range from $100 to $10,000, depending on the level of damage.
There have also been reports of illegal fires up on Park City Mountain. That’s in violation of the open flame ban the city council approved earlier this month. Randall said starting fires on private property could also result in arson charges. Arson can rise to a second-degree felony, which involves possible prison time and a fine up to $10,000.
Randall emphasized that, generally speaking, vandalism isn’t rampant in Park City.
“I don’t want people to think that we have a significant problem,” he said. “But I think we could help minimize it for sure, if people were to see something and say something.”
Anyone with relevant information should call the police department’s non-emergency dispatch at 435-615-5500.
