City of El Paso asks community to be aware of vandalism in parks

EL PASO, Texas -- A press conference discussing joint efforts to ask the community to be on the lookout for vandalism in El Paso parks was held by the City of El Paso Parks and Recreation and other partners.

The City said vandalism repairs have cost over $200,000 in the last two years.

“We are extremely disheartened to announce that this year we have seen an uptick in vandalism throughout our City parks and facilities,” said City of El Paso Chief Transit and Field Operations Officer Ellen Smyth, “The defacing and damaging of public property is counterproductive to the millions of dollars the City has invested into parks, playgrounds, and recreation centers over the past five years. Not only does vandalism create eyesores and unsafe places, it forces us to use tax dollars on repairs."

Officials are asking community members to remain vigilant of any vandalism they see in parks and to report it to police or CrimeStoppers at (915) 566-8477 as soon as possible, especially if it is a more recent act of vandalism.

Police said that the sooner vandalism is reported, the better chances they have of catching the offender.

If there is an emergency, such as arson, call 911. If you are concerned about interfering with an emergency call in a non-emergency situation, you can call CrimeStoppers or 915-832-4400