Window smasher final straw for Penticton's Parkers Chrysler dealership

Photo: Contributed

Another episode of senseless vandalism last weekend has left the general manger of Parkers Chrysler wondering where the justice system is.

Three vehicles had been damaged on the morning of Jan. 7. Surveillance footage showed a man ride into the lot on a scooter shortly after 6 a.m. and smash windows on two of the vehicles.

The video quality is quite clear, despite the incident unfolding before sunrise, because the dealership spent roughly $200,000 last year upgrading the security.

“We’re putting everything in place so (the RCMP) can figure out who it is doing this damage,” general manager Jim Tabler said. “If they’re able to determine who it is, we want some action on those individuals -- we do not want them released a couple hours after this thing happens so they are back here to do it again.”

Petty crime is nothing new. But 10 years ago, Parkers was only spending “a couple thousand” each month to hire security guards to include the dealership lot in an overnight patrol.

“Now you’re paying hundreds of thousands per year to have somebody on site,” Tabler said.

Car dealerships operate at a large enough scale to be able to absorb those hefty costs, but he feels for the small businesses that can’t afford a strong security presence.

And despite the level of investment made in security, some vandals -- like the fellow from last weekend -- still aren’t deterred from targeting Tabler’s lot. When the three cars were damaged last weekend, staffers had already started their workday at the dealership.

“It’s frustrating because the individuals that will cause this damage are so brazen that they don’t care if there’s somebody here or not.”

Tabler doesn’t take the vandalism personally. What he saw in the surveillance video was a very angry man who is probably struggling with his mental health. He assumes anger was also the motivation behind the window smashing at the Canada Revenue Agency earlier this week.

He’s glad to see governments have made it a priority to offer shelter and mental health support for those who are struggling, but he believes there’s far too much leniency towards violent offenders.

Despite the number of stressful situations at Parkers, Tabler doesn’t feel like his dealership is getting hit by thieves and vandals any worse than the other car dealerships.

Around the city, an arsonist set fire to vehicles parked at Penticton Kia in February 2023. A man has been charged with arson for the fire at Penticton Toyota in May 2022. And while it may not have been intentional, an unlicensed driver wiped out on the Channel Parkway and smashed into multiple vehicles at Skaha Ford in October 2022.

But considering where Parkers is located, it probably doesn’t help when a homeless shelter opened on the other side of the street in May 2019.

“It’s not the Compass House causing the problem -- it’s the individuals that are drawn here because of the Compass House and they’re not necessarily using the Compass House for what it’s supposed to be used for.”

Tabler realizes the Penticton RCMP’s resources are stretched thin, and it’s not practical for officers to respond to every minor call that comes in.

“Cutting through fences and stealing $1,000 worth of something isn’t enough.”

After reporting so many incidents that resulted in little follow-up, staffers at the dealership started to feel like there’s not much point in calling the police anymore.

“Unless it’s $5,000, it ended up being paperwork to give the RCMP information, and we didn’t get much for a response.”

But in light of last week’s vandalism, Tabler decided that incidents will be thoroughly reported from now on.

“Clearly the RCMP needs to be aware every single time something happens because they need to be able to chart everything that goes on in town.”

While police play an important role in public safety, Tabler says the city’s worsening crime situation is the responsibility of Penticton council and the provincial government.

“We don’t see enough action to deal with this, all we hear about is the politics,” he said. “That’s the frustrating side of it for me.”

This story first appeared in the Penticton Herald and is republished as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.