By james art RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – Vandalism during the Halloween season is becoming more common in cities across the United States. Nevada ranks ninth in the US for high risk of vandalism during the Halloween season.
“A lot of times people either destroy the lawn decoration, knock things over or tear the inflatables,” said Reno Police Officer Chris Johnson.
According to Ladah Law, it conducted a study using data collected by the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer on incidents of vandalism. The data is an average calculated over three years (October 2021, 2022 and 2023) during the month of Halloween to determine the total number of vandalism incidents in each state per 100,000 residents.
Nevada shows 64 incidents per 100,000 residents. This figure is based on an average of approximately 2,030 incidents of vandalism per year during the months of October in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
“I think it’s a crime of opportunity. Sometimes they can be teenagers or young people who are in the moment and make a decision that they later regret,” Officer Johnson said.
The Reno Police Department says there were zero incidents of vandalism on Halloween last year, but multiple incidents this year in South Reno. “We have had multiple reports of property being destroyed throughout the month from October 1 until now. This is something we regularly visit every day when property destruction calls for service. We have only gone to four property destruction calls in the last month. Specifically in relation to Halloween decorations,” the officer added.
Of the four cases in South Reno, one suspect has been cited.
There is a penalty for defiling property. “If the decorations are under $250, $250 to $5,000 or $5,000 and up, it really depends. This is how the law for the destruction of property is written in general. Destroying someone else’s property is a crime.
If your property has been vandalized, call RPD’s 911 number (775–334-2677). Make sure you have surveillance video and the cost of the damaged property to report to law enforcement.
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