Taggers have police, neighbors on the look out
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

Residents on five separate residential blocks awoke last Friday morning to find more than a dozen homes and cars spray painted with black and green swastikas and racial slurs.

Detective Steve Arthur with the Camarillo Police Department said the vandalism that covered fences, garage doors and cars took place sometime between 10 p.m. on Thurs., Aug. 9 and 1 a.m. the following morning.

"I don't think this was a hate crime," Arthur said. "It wasn't intended for just one house."

Residents spent the morning cleaning the graffiti, which was mostly done on white cars or homes painted white.

"I was really shocked," said Carole Frick, who has lived in the 10 block of Green Vale Drive for more than 30 years. "My house had swastikas on it, but my neighbor's house had some really nasty things written on it."

Frick said the vandalism has been cleaned but one of her neighbors will have to replace his wooden garage door because the graffiti has damaged it beyond repair. She said the block maintains a Neighborhood Watch group, and the Camarillo Police Department has increased patrols throughout the area near Las Posas Elementary School.

In addition to Green Vale Drive, the vandals hit homes along Green Lawn Avenue, Ripley Street and Tree Fern and Green Glade courts.

Arthur said the graffiti appears to be the work of juveniles. "Some of the swastikas were backwards."

The detective said the vandalism remains an open investigation, and the vandals may face felony charges because of the amount of reported damage.

"People who tag are looking for attention," Arthur said. "There's a good chance these kids are going to start bragging about what they did, and if someone hears about it, we want to know."

Police are asking anyone with information regarding the vandalism to call the Camarillo Police Department at (805) 388-2100 or Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (805) 987-TALK (8255). Calls can be made anonymously.