Making Vandalism Take a Backseat

Recent incidences demonstrate the need for school districts to be proactive in protecting property

Julie Metea | Contributor

The year started out bumpy for school districts in and around Oakland County, Michigan. As the news spread about school bus vandalism in Waterford Township, teenage vandals in five neighboring cities duplicated the crime — letting air out of hundreds of tires that grounded entire fleets and cancelled school.

“It wasn’t gang related. It was a copy cat crime. Children have a tendency to do this. Sort of like bomb threats to get out of school,” said Waterford Public Schools spokesperson Rhonda Lessel. “(The vandals) thought it was a prank, but this was serious.”

The crime spree contributed to a flurry of school disruption, police investigations, high-profile reward money and courtroom appearances. As the dust settled, the six school districts were eager to resume activities. There were some individual efforts to augment bus yard security.

National security consultants and state transportation directors who follow vandalism trends suggest there should be an increased focus before and after incidents to better control high and low-level vandalism.

Bus Yard Mayhem
The six Michigan school districts — Clarkston, Farmington, Flat Rock, Riverview, Waterford and West Bloomfield — reported the much-publicized school bus vandalism as “a first.” The majority of these communities are home to middle- and upper-income households outside of Detroit. Some of the districts had policies in place to deal with vandals.

“This falls under our student code of conduct, and there are ramifications. There’s a process in discipline. After expulsion, we wait a certain number of days before the school board decides to reinstate them. This also goes for carrying weapons or bomb threats,” said Lessel.

Unlike writing or sticking gum on seats, the Waterford case brought high-profile community attention to school vandalism. As a result of 30 deflated tires on 24 buses, the district cancelled class. Lessel explained the actual vandalism repair cost only $600 for an outside contractor to replace air in the tires. On a wider scope, the estimated cost to the community was $600,000 in wages, maintenance and back-up child care.

County administrators, law enforcement and the courts took care of the rest. Tips on vandalism flowed in after individual police departments and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson offered more than $3,000 in rewards. Police arrested and charged nearly two dozen teenagers, who were still going through the courts in April. Among the harshest penalties to date, two of the Waterford boys were expelled, sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution.

“The superintendents came to me for support. School vandalism in this county has become a growing and serious problem that needs immediate attention,” Patterson said.

The schools took some steps to augment low-cost, low-tech security, such as bus yard guards, more lighting and stronger fences. While some communication occurred, it was less than a community-wide coordinated effort.

“The transportation directors chatted to see what they had in place. The issue is how much can we spend (on security). They are going to leave it at this point,” said Cheryl Cannon, executive director for Farmington Schools Operational Services.

Caution for Security
Security consultants say this Michigan case is beyond the norm, and any level of vandalism needs to be addressed.

“Vandalism happens all the time, and the impact is much greater than the direct cost of repairing the bus,” said Thomas Hines, president of SecureMatrix Consulting. “The lack of security on the transportation infrastructure sends a signal to the community and the bad guys that it’s open season on schools.”

Hines pointed to the “Broken Windows Theory” authored in the mid-1990s by former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros. The theory suggests neighborhood strategies deter and reduce crime. For example, it says crime will decrease if residents pick up litter, quickly replace broken windows or put a fresh coat of paint over graffiti and older buildings.

Translated for school bus yards, it could include tactics suggested by Stefan Salmonson, PPS, president of PROtective Services, Inc.

“We recommend electronic detection devices, but there’s no money for it,” he said. “Low-tech could be okay, like fencing. Additional community watches are good. Consider senior citizens. They love this role. And they put ears and eyes on the ground.”

Befriending local law enforcement is also effective in getting extra “buy in” for school security.

Schools on a tight budget should consider erecting graphically enhanced signage to communicate surveillance to vandals who may not read well. And proper lighting of facilities deters vandals from lurking in the shadows.

It’s important for schools to know what others see. Video tape the property and share with law enforcement. Frequently walk the property to make sure shrubs around school yards are no higher than four feet. Take note of broken brush, cigarette butts or candy wrappers that may indicate someone is watching yards.

Salmonson adds that schools can download the free Google Earth satellite imagery software so they can be aware of what the general public can view of school district property.

“Criminals will test you to see if you’re watching and detecting them. If you combine several things, you’ll have a better chance,” he added.

Contractor–Customer Security
Schools may be required to make security investments, and many are already doing so, especially if buses are operated by another organization. Laidlaw Education Services requires enhanced ground security in many of its 1,000 contracts, according to spokesperson Tiffini Bloniarz.

Laidlaw characterizes the majority of vandalism as minor, such as fire extinguisher tampering or graffiti. Such incidents often can be cleaned quickly by putting maintenance teams into action and replacing parts, she explained.

However, the company occasionally eats the cost of bigger incidents. In March, vandals damaged 22 Laidlaw school buses in East Lyme, Conn. School was cancelled after vandals cut ignition and electrical wires on the vehicles. After Laidlaw offered a $2,000 reward, police got a tip leading to the arrest of two teenage boys who were charged with criminal mischief and conspiracy.

Laidlaw’s Bloniarz said the company hasn’t resorted to insurance claims. As a result, contractors must consider vandalism a cost of doing business.

“The whole thing with vandalism is a real concern these days. Anything related to security is considered a plus,” added Bob Moran, president of Child Check Mate.
Child Check Mate is working with First Student to implement for next school year the new Theft Mate product that acts as a vehicle intrusion detection system. In addition to locking down the bus and employing motion detectors inside the cabin, it is tied to a wireless-capable GPS solution provided by Zonar. It notifies the fleet yard of any unauthorized boarding, or simply if driver fails to perform the child check at the conclusion of a route.

Managing Would-Be Vandals
In addition to security equipment investments, Utah State Transportation Director Murrell Martin suggests better management of students on the bus.

As a former school bus driver and trainer in Cache County, located in the north-central part of the state on the Idaho border, Martin saw how schools can avoid the cost and aggravation of replacing vandalized seat covers. The drivers enforced assigned seats to track where the vandalism occurred. Instead of the district spending more than $10,000 a year, the district billed the families of the vandals.

Martin also believes addressing students by their first names can be effective.

“When a bus has chaos, it can lead to incidents. If things are under control, the vandalism can go down,” said Martin. “Drivers who have respect up front may fend off these incidents. It’s a clear signal from the driver that everyone will be treated with dignity and respect.”

Martin now uses these lessons in a statewide effort to reduce crime and to tame bullies on buses. Posted bus rules call on the students to treat each other with courtesy and respect, and a result is drivers can better create a more positive environment on the bus.

“We’ve seen unexpected outcomes, too,” he added. “Parents started calling and thanking us for the order on the bus.”