Norton Sees Increase in Vandals

Norton has seen a rise in vandalism over the past couple of months, and police say it’s probably not a coincidence that it has coincided with school vacation.

 “It’s more common during summer,” said Norton Police Lieutenant Todd Jackson, who noted the vandals are most likely area kids.

 On July 30 on Newcomb Street, several area mailboxes were smashed. At another house on the street, a mailbox was pulled out of the ground and the resident’s car was painted. Just a few hours later, a report of another mailbox vandalism was filed on Lincoln Street. Earlier in the month homes on Pine Street and Danielle Street were struck with eggs while Oak Street was victim to more mailbox vandalism.

 According to United States Postal Service, mailboxes are protected by federal law, and crimes against them and the mail they contain are considered a federal offense. Violators can be fined up to $250,000, or imprisoned for up to three years, for each act of vandalism.

 Here are a few tips to deter vandals from visiting your home:

-Report incidents to police so that they may provide extra patrols in the area

-Install motion sensor floodlights. The light may scare vandals away.

-Obtain Label 33 from the Postal Inspection Service and affix it to your mailbox. The sticker warns that willful damage to mailboxes and theft of mail are crimes.

-Consider starting a neighborhood crime watch committee. Keep an eye out for your neighbors.

-Vandal-proof your mailbox. Here’s a chance to get creative. NortonMASocial.com has a few examples here.

-Install a security camera. If the previous tips don’t work, you can at least provide a description for police on who to look for.