Vandalism on the rise in El Paso city parks

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- City officials said vandalism has increased in parks across El Paso.

Emigdio Gonzalez, the city's Park Operations Superintendent, said they're seeing three-to-four vandalisms in city parks weekly.

The most common type of vandalism, according to Gonzalez, happens in the parks' public restrooms. People often cover them with graffiti, break and steal things, and sometimes even light things on fire. Another common target for vandals is skate parks.

One extreme example Gonzalez gave was last year, when someone stole and damaged electrical wire at one of the parks. He said it cost the city tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to replace.

"We have a graffiti team for the city. We have teams in each of our area corrals. So in any given week, up to 20 people are painting, or fixing, or repairing the results of vandalism and graffiti in the parks," said Gonzalez.

But he said the city needs help. He's asking the community to report any vandalism, or anything suspicious, to 311. If the situation is dire, he said you should call police.