Vandals during disaster recovery should be charged with felonies

By William Parkinson

I introduced Bill 132-37 (COR), which would make it a felony if someone vandalizes public property during times of public emergency.

During this typhoon we saw the vandalization of water dispensing tanker trucks which provided much needed potable water.  It’s not just a crime against property, it endangers the community in times of crisis, and thus it should be classified as a felony.

I also believe that the Castle Doctrine should apply to any resident protecting their property or public property during an emergency.  If you see someone tampering with a water well generator after a typhoon, you should be able to defend that public property for the good of the whole island.

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William Parkinson is a senator in the Thirty-seventh Guam Legislature, and a member of the democrat majority.

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Editor’s note: Kandit wrote to Attorney General Douglas Moylan, Public Defender Services Corporation executive director Stephen Hattori, and the 15 members of the Guam Legislature asking whether, in light of violent crimes being committed during the typhoon response and the strain criminals are placing on an already-strained criminal justice system, they would support enhancements in sentencing for people convicted of committing crimes during a typhoon recovery period.