In Bismarck, reported cases of vandalism from Jan. 1 to June 25 totaled 1,010, up from just 677 during the same period a year ago. Bicycle patrols are not new. But police are adding more because bikes allow them to hide better in the parking lots of apartment complexes, where youths often smash vehicle windows. Stopping vandalism is hard, Kjelstrom said, because it only takes a second for someone to smash a window before moving on to more destruction. And unlike recovered stolen goods, vandalized property cannot be returned.
Problem escalates Small towns also face vandalism problems.
In a similar case in Williston, one man already is in the state penitentiary and another awaits trial in a vandalism rampage at the city's junior high school. In Bismarck, Police Chief Deborah Ness implored residents to report suspicious behavior after getting 170 reports of vandalized vehicles over one June weekend. They still are looking for those culprits, but some others have been caught with the help of residents. Bismarck police are focusing on certain areas that have been especially hard hit. Besides bicycles, police are using unmarked cars.