Non-profit faces $80,000 in damages after vandalism

By Chorus Nylander

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KVOA) — A Tucson non-profit is facing a crisis after the AC units to its midtown location were destroyed by vandals.

Child & Family Resources Inc. aims to help children and families in Southern Arizona but that mission is facing a setback after the vandals caused over $80,000 in damages.

“We are very limited on our funding so this does definitely cut into what some plans we were hoping for staff and some other budgetary restrictions we have now,” said Communications Manager Maeghan Murdock.

Jose Acedo is the facility’s Maintenance Manager and discovered the damage after the night of May 19th. He found the pad-locked gate that secured the AC units cut open.

“The links are still on the ground where they cut the chain,” he showed us.

He says the vandals stole the copper wiring within the units. They found what appeared to be a homeless camp within the fenced-off area around the units and a small metal device they believe is what was used to cut the piping.

Acedo said he called 911 but was told that because they don’t have video evidence an officer would not respond. Given the amount of damage and the evidence left behind at the scene, he finds that troubling.

“We let police know we found the item we believe they used to cut the piping but they still would not come out here,” he explained.

Acedo said it could take months to get the AC repaired, leaving the building uncomfortably hot during the hottest time of year.

Murdock said about half of their staff is now working from home due to the incident. Those who are unable to work from home are given portable fans to try and cool off.

This is just one of the most recent incidents of vandalism the N4T Investigators have looked into. Last week we reported on how a group of small business owners told us they are seeing more crime than ever before.

Shane Parker who owns Parker Automotive in midtown told us he has been spending thousands to secure his business after dozens of regular incidents.

“Probably had the cops out a couple hundred times because of cars getting broken into,” he told us.

Grant Krueger, who owns one of the most successful restaurant groups in the Tucson area, said he fears this wave of crime could force some businesses to close.

“We are living in a more dangerous environment than we ever have been,” he said.

When the News 4 Tucson Investigators spoke to Tucson Police about their concerns they told us commercial property crime is down this year compared to 2023.

TPD Lt. Jason Hochstettler said he believes that is the result of increased enforcement. He told us they have been conducting more bike patrols and meeting with business owners directly to try and better secure some businesses.

Krueger told us he doesn’t buy that crime is going down, he believes business owners like himself are reporting it less because of seeing no results when they have called the police before.

“I would venture to say a vast majority of the crime going on in Tucson is going unreported today,” Krueger said.

The N4T Investigators reached out to TPD about the vandalism at Child & Family Resources and they responded:

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We did find that a 9-1-1 call was placed on May 20th to report a copper theft and that their commercial yard was broken in to. The Public Safety Communications Department (PSCD), who is responsible for handling and triaging all 9-1-1 calls, received the information and advised the caller to make an online report based on the information that was provided. The call never made it to our officers and was closed out by PSCD. For information about their policies and how they operate, I will refer you to them. I’m not sure if they have a PIO email, but they also monitor contactpscd@tucsonaz.gov.

The extent of the damage and theft that is listed below is very concerning. I have forwarded on the information to our Midtown Division and they are looking into the matter. Had we been aware of the full extent of the damage, we would have dispatched an officer to investigate the incident when it was first reported.

The Tucson Police Department takes commercial vandalism and burglary very seriously. We strive to provide the best service for our community and local businesses. Any business in the city can reach out to their local substation to have a business safety assessment done. A highly trained officer will provide recommendations to make an area less appealing for criminal activity and better protect the business, following the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). “

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