numerous in small communities, perhaps because of the lack of
police protection. Sometimes vandalism is wanton,--that is, it
results from an apparent love of being destructive. Most often it
is purely thoughtless. Few people would knowingly injure the
property of another if they would stop to think of their feelings
if another should injure THEIR property. It is a case of "bad
manners." Moreover, it is not a "square deal" to injure another's
property while expecting one's own property to be secure. When
vandalism occurs in a community it creates a general feeling of
insecurity and destroys the sense of freedom.

PUBLIC PROPERTY is often more likely to suffer from vandalism than
private property. Some people will mar the walls of public
buildings, or make their floors filthy with expectoration, when
they would not think of doing so in private buildings. They will
break shrubbery in public parks, or despoil public flower beds,
when they would not think of entering private premises for such
purpose. There seems to be a feeling that public property belongs
to no one, or else that, since it is public, any one is at liberty
to do as he pleases with it. This, of course, is foolish. It is as
if a stockholder in a business corporation should injure or
destroy the corporation property, forgetting that he owned a share
in it and suffered a share of the loss.

Investigate and report on:

Organization of police protection in your community.

Organization of a police department in a large city.