Deputy’s Cruiser Vandalized In Cantonment

May 31, 2013

An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SUV was vandalized overnight in Cantonment.

The deputy discovered the damage this morning to the cruiser parked in front of his house in the Turnberry Place subdivision off East Kingsfield Road. The back window had been shattered, and tires were flattened. Nothing was reported missing from the vehicle.

The incident is under investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. A crime scene unit was called to the scene to check the vehicle for fingerprints and any other clues. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.

Pictured: An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SUV was vandalized in Cantonment. Photos by Chris Johnson, WEAR 3, for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

32 Responses to “Deputy’s Cruiser Vandalized In Cantonment”

  1. poplardell on June 1st, 2013 3:42 pm

    @ wife of leo
    Don’t think that everyone feels the way a few of the idiots on here do nor that everyone who posts on here is a honest law abiding citizen.
    LEOS are very much appreciated but not very likely to hear it from the people they deal with.

  2. MIKE O. on June 1st, 2013 11:32 am

    It seems like the only thing people on here are worried about is the finger print dust on their vehicles paint job. Absolutely crazy. Well, just so everyone knows, yes, that dust can be nasty. But, it does come off relatively easy from your vehciles exterior surfaces. All it takes is a little degreaser, followed by a polish. I work in the automotive collision industry, and we see stolen recoveries quite often. And 9 out of 10 are covered in the black dust. And typically, once we get the vehicle, this dust has been on there for at least a week, and we can get it off somewhat easily. Using a paper towel and some windex is not the answer, and it is no wonder people do not like it. It amazes me that most everyone who has posted is more upset about finger print dust than they are about these people who are breaking into your vehicles. Go figure.

  3. 89tigers on June 1st, 2013 11:12 am

    Morgan and the Liberal judges and the point system we give criminals is the problem,, Go back to letting Judges “VOTING FOR THE RIGHT ONES” and let them sentence these punks by sending them to prison and not a slap on the hand will be a big start.. Get Morgan out of office is the next step,, this clown is a joke to our county

  4. EJ on June 1st, 2013 10:59 am

    People. please use the proper term when referring to these twits.

    thug

    1. a tough and violent man, esp a criminal
    2. (Historical Terms) (sometimes capital) (formerly) a member of an organization of robbers and assassins in India who typically strangled their victims

    punk

    a. A young person, especially a member of a rebellious counterculture group.
    b. An inexperienced young man.

    It seems to me they thrive on being reported as “thugs” when in reality, they are no more than “punks”. Sniveling, attention seeking punks. Confront one and you will see what I mean. And yes, I have.

  5. DoubleDip on June 1st, 2013 10:25 am

    I had the same thing happen to me, our shop was broken into and 15,000$ worth of wheels and tires were stolen, the DEPUTY fussed at me for talking too fast and loud that morning when I found I had been robbed. Well Excuse me I was excited and pissed I suppose, he then appeared to dust for prints but NEVER put the brush into the powder, no residue anywhere, I guess he didn’t think I was smart enough to see what he didn’t do, then tell’s me door too dusty for print’s, the boxes they moved were dusty etc.etc. Yet here’s the best part, the thieves knocked a loan agreement paper out of their vehicle onto the ground where they parked , tracks led to that spot so it was their’s no doubt about it, it had their name, address, date of birth, everything he needed he went to the suspects house asked him about that paper, caught him lying about it and still he did NOTHING. What else did he need for an arrest ?? So take care of it yourself if given the chance, they surely won’t do it.

  6. Jane on June 1st, 2013 5:06 am

    If you don’t want a high crime rate in your area start a neighborhood watch group and do something to change the situation where you live! Be part of the solution instead of complaining about law enforcement. These groups are working in other parts of the county and they are free and law enforcement will help you. Call David Craig at the ECSO for more information.

  7. Mark on June 1st, 2013 3:13 am

    Wow who cares my car got broke into twice and the police dept vehicles isn’t no better then my vehicle so who cares it isn’t like deputy pay for the truck himself we all pay for that truck so who cares the insurance company will pay for the damage!

  8. Marshall on May 31st, 2013 11:52 pm

    To those of you complaining about the Deputies driving County Vehicles home…that is part of their package of benefits. They are probably lower paid than any other county in Florida and driving the vehicle helps compensate them for low pay for a dangerous job. And I would bet that the complainers…could not do their job for a week! I am glad they allow them to drive the vehicles home.They should also get paid better to go along with it.

    They have the most thankless job going.and get much more complaining than thanks. Just curious…those of you complaining about fingerprints not being taken…Did any of you call the Sheriff or file a complaint about it? Bet you didn’t do anything. Just so you know…my girlfriends car was broken into at her home and they did try to get prints. Guess what…they did get prints…but just like was said…totally unusable prints due to the surface.

  9. Rosco on May 31st, 2013 11:19 pm

    This wasn’t the only Sheriff’s cruiser with the windows smashed out and vandalized off Kingsfield last night…

  10. leochic on May 31st, 2013 10:49 pm

    I was one of 7 vehicles broken into in the same parking lot in the same evening. So it wasn’t just my complaint. We were all told the same thing. I had to pay to replace my window and buy a new camera because the poor deputy didn’t want to waste his precious time to write out police reports so I could file with my insurance company.
    This is becoming a problem in Escambia County and hindering the deputies from doing their jobs is just going to make it worse. Especially advertising on the news that they can’t.

  11. bd on May 31st, 2013 6:59 pm

    I know exactly where this happened(right up the street from me) and I really hate to see it. This officer never bother’s anyone, helps people out when he can and the only thing he’s guilty of is the career he chose. There’s a couple of groups of thugs that are out wandering the streets at 0200-0500 in the mornings(I see them sometimes when I come home from work late) and they walk through the neighborhoods checking for unlocked cars etc to steal things from, along with the occasional mailbox vandalism, leaving their garbage in the streets etc. These little piles of trash are anywhere from 12-20 years old and routinely steal from the little Tom Thumb store right up the street from him as well but even when they get caught nothing happens it seems. Yep, the neighborhood has gone to crap. Personally I can’t WAIT to move from here. It’s a shame too because we called this “home”………

  12. Jason on May 31st, 2013 4:00 pm

    I guess those complaining never had to try and clean up the fingerprint powder thats gets spread around trying to find a fingerprint. I worked in a place that got robbed and once they finished dusting the 2 foot x 2 foot sized counter-top it took 45 minutes and a roll of paper towels to eliminate the black powder. I managed to ruined a shirt and get powder on my hands and arms that I had to go scrub.

    Those of you complaining you didnt get your car dusted for prints dont realize how lucky you really were. I could only imagine how much you would complain once you had that dust smeared on your dashboard, steering wheel, car seats and onto the carpet. Waahhh waahhh waah!!!!

  13. Wife of LEO on May 31st, 2013 3:47 pm

    Perhaps if some people spent less time complaining and more time respecting and/or teaching their children to respect the laws and those who put their lives on the line to enforce said laws, then just maybe some of the nonsense in Escambia County would finally calm down.

    Just FYI (for those complaining)…my husband was a deputy with ECSO for nearly 30 years, and when our car was recently broken into we did NOT receive any special treatment, etc. We were basically told the same story as everyone else…that processing for prints on a car is 1). usually non-productive (as the surfaces generally do not produce any prints they can use and 2). that the powders, etc. used do not come off easily …if at all….and can leave a nasty residue on the paint, etc. Instead of complaining, though, I am thankful that the deputy who answered our call was upfront regarding the pros & cons of processing for prints and that they likely would mess up my car and probably wouldn’t lead to an arrest anyway. I can live without the few items that we were stupid enough to have left in the car in the first place…and I certainly can’t see ruining my paint job over a few things that can be replaced.
    TYVM to everyone at ECSO for the mostly thankless job that you guys & gals do!

  14. Megan on May 31st, 2013 3:01 pm

    I agree with jayce. I also have an officer who lives in my neighborhood and I feel safer seeing his patrol vehicle and knowing he lives there. It’s probably county policy to have crime scene respond anytime there is damage to any county vehicle not just sheriffs office vehicles. Lets support our law officers. They are doing a job most of us don’t want. God bless all LEO!!!

  15. Really! Just Saying! on May 31st, 2013 2:41 pm

    @ CHILL … You can see the finger print dust on the door around the handle area or are you missing that too! The whole point is every crime should be treated the same wether it is county prpoerty or personal property! Everyone is suppose to have equal rights! Wether it is finger printing or investigations!!! I also thank LEO for the work they do but further more I think it is a staffing problem that renders them helpless to spend more time treating every case the same!

  16. jayce on May 31st, 2013 2:12 pm

    wow people sure do jump on the wagon any chance they get to blame officers for anything. so many people complaining because they didn’t get their stuff finger printed or complaining because officers get to take their vehicles home. I want to tell all the officers thanks for your work. I had my car broke into @ a friends house a few months ago and crime scene came out and they caught the suspects!!! I also have an officer who lives in my neighborhood and I do feel better seeing their patrol car there and knowing if I or my family needs help that officer would help us. so thank you to all LEO for the work you do even if all some people do is complain.

  17. Chill out on May 31st, 2013 1:41 pm

    A crime scene technician is required to respond any time a county vehicle is damaged. This is Sheriff’s Office policy. That is why you will see a crime scene van at a deputy involved traffic accident. They are not trying to get prints from the traffic accident. It is mostly for photographs and documentation. Just because the person who reported this story wrote that the tech responded for fingerprints you guys take it and run with it.

  18. Gwen K on May 31st, 2013 1:11 pm

    Not the same Gwen as above. I’m just thankful that the officer and his family are safe. This could have just as easily been a window leading into their home instead of the vehicle. Officers (as well as their families) sacrifice a great deal to keep the rest of us safe, so for some coward to do something like this makes my blood boil. Trust me, one thing I did learn before resigning from downtown….they always have to brag to someone, thus, begins the trickle affect…they will be found.

  19. Safebear on May 31st, 2013 12:57 pm

    Seems an ongoing problem with fingerprints. I had a house and vehicle broken into on separate occasions. Was told both times that they couldn’t fingerprint because door handles don’t hold fingerprints and that thousands of people could walk by my truck and touch it so it would take too long to process them.

    When my house was broken into, they said the door knobs were too slick and they probably used to drawer pulls to open them and they were too small to finger print..

    Don’t get me wrong, I support LEOs as much as I can but I sure got shafted on both of my situations.

  20. TAXPAYER on May 31st, 2013 12:51 pm

    Sounds to me like they shouldn’t drive them home then, beacuse all this proves it is no deterant at all to have one in your neighborhood or house driveway. Lets save some taxmoney on gas. And have them driver thier own cars home not county.

  21. lucky leo's on May 31st, 2013 11:58 am

    Just goes to show you they get special treatment that a reg tax payer don’t.. not worth their time or money for citizens but if its one of their own they will run the bill up

  22. Ty on May 31st, 2013 11:47 am

    My uncles truck was stolen at the beginning of the week out of cantonment was spotted my a friend and was later recovered near the paper mill after the thug left the truck once he knew he had been spotted, other cars in the neighborhood were broken into… Something has to give and get ahold of what’s going on in Escambia county it’s getting worse,,,

  23. Wolfee on May 31st, 2013 11:44 am

    They should have to park the vehicles at a county yard with cameras and driver thier personal vehicles back and forth to work!

  24. Gwen on May 31st, 2013 11:09 am

    Also, could you blow up the pic showing where the fingerprints were taken? Thanks.

  25. Gwen on May 31st, 2013 11:07 am

    Same story here-many years ago some kids vandalized my husband’s truck by smashing cinder blocks against the side panels and hood. Deputy looked at and said same thing, can’t fingerprint it, won’t ever find out who did it, sorry and have a nice day.

  26. AC on May 31st, 2013 10:48 am

    I’ve never quite understood the purpose for vandalizing a police vehicle. I realize that the vandal(s) are trying to get revenge for something, but vandalizing a police vehicle is not hurting the officer that drives it; it is hurting the taxpayers. The vehicles are owned by the city/county/state/government and all are insured. The officer just gets new equipment and laughs at the stupidity of the person who did this.

  27. Really! Just Saying! on May 31st, 2013 10:31 am

    I hear ya LEOCHIC I had my truck broken into and I called the police and they said they could not finger print my truck either because they said the door handles could not hold finger prints! I had cd’s and some perscriptiond drugs I had in the glove box stolen! LEO must have special door handels or vehicles that hold finger prints unlike the rest of the Cantonment area. Or is it just to time consuming for them to worry about? Maybe if they had took time to finger print our vehicles maybe theirs would not have been vandalized! Just Saying!!

  28. No Excuses on May 31st, 2013 10:15 am

    Whoever did this is a coward and a disgrace. I hope they catch whoever did it and make a real example of them! Hang tough LEO!

  29. leochic on May 31st, 2013 10:12 am

    That’s funny…when my car had the passenger window shattered and my purse stolen along with my $400 camera on my birthday, I was told by the officer that they couldn’t get fingerprints off a car. So he wasn’t going to bother calling anyone to come out to investigate, that I was out of luck. I guess only LEO cars can hold fingerprints.

  30. Jeannie Page on May 31st, 2013 10:11 am

    It seems to me like there is a new gang of young people that have initiations that they have to do to get in the gang. or Just a few idiots that have no respect for anyone including them self.

  31. KB on May 31st, 2013 9:43 am

    What’s going on Cantonment? Thurs. night my Dad’s (who passed away in Nov) truck was stolen from outside my bedroom window. They were so quite my german sheppard was asleep inside my house and didn’t hear them. I know this officer. He lives in a nice neighborhood and so do I. Lived here all my life never had a car stolen on my street or anywhere in or near my neighborhood. Crime is unheard of out here. It’s out of control and no one seems to have an answer.

  32. mick on May 31st, 2013 9:41 am

    Its probably someone he recently arrested, or if it is a random crime its probably someone who lives nearby so they can ride by and see their handiwork…your disrespect for this leo that puts on a uniform to protect and serve doesn’t deserve this, and you also disrespect all the law abiding tax paying citizens that paid for this officer’s equipment…laugh now you idiot they will catch you and I hope you get the max penalty for your crimes…whoever did this you are a coward and a disgrace…