Vandals Hit High-Profile Target in Coon Rapids

Vandals went to great lengths to deface a water tower in Coon Rapids last week.

Coon Rapids Police Captain John Hattstrom describes what the taggers had to do to reach the top of the water tower; "It's 25 feet to the base of the ladder which is protected with a screen so you can't get on the ladder. Then you have another 15 feet of protection above that point so you're talking 40 feet till you're actually on the ladder."

From that point the taggers had to climb another 100 feet of ladder.

Hattstrom says the difficulty taggers faced in vandalizing the tower also made it more expensive to repair the damage; "Public works department estimates it at over 1000 dollars." The cost of repairs elevates the crime according to Hattstrom, "Felony criminal damage to and probably a misdemeanor trespass just for being on the property."

Coon Rapids Police say there will be additional patrols in the area, and are using some high technology to see through the cover of darkness, "We've got some infrared cameras that'll pick up people in the dark They don't even know they having pictures taken of them."

Police are asking for the public's help in spotting unusual behavior in their neighborhood.

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