Several Ohio fire and police vehicles were damaged by vandals over the weekend.
A Columbus firefighter was driving a department vehicle to a call when a brick or rock was thrown at it, WYSX-TV reports. The object shattered he back window.
"We are absolutely for freedom of speech and that's the American way. But damaging equipment is not part of that right to protest,” Fire Battalion Chief Steve Martin told WYSX.. "We've had a lot of our equipment that has taken on cinder blocks, bricks, bottles, rocks are being thrown at us,."
Many of the damaged vehicles were new, but that doesn't mean they'll get fixed soon. Repairs must wait for budget approval, and that can take months or even years to secure enough money, especially with city revenue sharply down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Other than maybe getting the back window replaced, it's highly unlikely that damage is going to be repaired because it's just too expensive to do that,” Martin told WYSX.
Police vehicles also were damaged over the weekend. A decrease in the number of cruisers that are out of service because of damage or repairs could affect response times.
Going out calls, firefighters will try to be as protective of their equipment as possible and keep it from being vandalized, Martin said. And they will try to find those responsible.
"Tearing up our equipment, we're going to do what we can to prevent it," Martin told WYSX. "But if we can find out who is doing it, we will pursue that as well."
