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Cemetery desecration
alert posted after tip

By Harold Morse
Star-Bulletin

Police warn there could be more graffiti desecration coming like the one at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl that outraged the public in 1997.

It's possible individuals contemplating such actions may have been involved in or are "copycats" of previous unsolved graffiti desecrations at cemeteries, police said.

"It's unsure exactly how good this information is," said Detective Letha DeCaires, in charge of the CrimeStoppers program. She said the information was developed from a tip and subsequent police investigation, and that it's believed the potential graffiti or "tagging" is more anti-police than anti-military.

Copycats "or even someone just trying to gain notoriety" are possibilities, she said. The tip was that such vandalism might occur in mid-February, DeCaires said.

Police want to alert the public and see if more eyes and ears can help, she said.

The weekend of April 20, 1997, vandals left hate-filled graffiti at Punchbowl and six other Oahu cemeteries that brought nationwide criticism.

Gene Castagnetti, director of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, said cemeteries and military facilities offer a wide range of potential targets and that police moved in the right direction. "Being alert to these things is the way we will prevent them," he said.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has spared no cost to maintain security and eternal vigilance, Castagnetti said. "We've had security on station 24 hours a day since I think May of 1997," he said.

All Oahu armed forces sites and cemetery locations are asked to be on the alert in coming weeks for suspects wearing backpacks or who may be at sites at unusual hours.

Bases statewide are keeping watch, said Capt. Rich Spiegel, U.S. Army Hawaii spokesman. "The military police are always alert for that type of conduct and if it occurs, the people will be caught and they'll be dealt with appropriately. It's not something that we tolerate on our installations."

CrimeStoppers can pay cash rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to arrest of a suspect or suspects in this type of graffiti case. All calls are confidential and anonymous. Call 955-8300 or *Crime on cellular telephones.