Bill would hike fine for vandalizing houses of worship

Council’s Public Safety Committee approves measure introduced by Mid-Island Republican Oddo

Vandals who are caught desecrating churches, synagogues and other houses of worship would be forced to cough up as much as $25,000 in fines under legislation approved yesterday by a City Council committee.

The Public Safety Committee unanimously passed a measure that Council minority leader James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn) introduced in August in an effort to stem a surge in vandalism that included graffiti sprayed on the walls of the Staten Island Sikh Temple in Dongan Hills last November and the decapitation of a statue of the Virgin Mary outside a Knights of Columbus hall in New Dorp in June.

The committee now will refer Oddo’s bill to the full Council.

The committee also approved measures that would increase penalties for spectators who throw objects onto playing surfaces during major sporting events and for drivers who fail to yield to emergency vehicles responding to calls. These bills are also expected to be approved by the full Council.

Oddo’s bill would increase the maximum civil penalty for an act of vandalism against a house of worship from $10,000 to $25,000.

The bill also would establish a minimum civil penalty of $10,000. Right now, there is no minimum penalty for such vandalism.

Oddo said the destruction and defacement of religious objects causes great consternation among worshipers and inflicts financial hardship on religious communities who are forced to shell out money to repair the damage. The harsh punishments called for in the bill are necessary, he said, to send a message that people who “engage in acts of stupidity and hatred” will be made to “pay, and pay dearly.”

The councilman also said it was “timely that we’re passing this bill on Halloween,” a holiday that is frequently marred by vandalism against religious institutions and other community facilities.

The full Council likely will approve the bill during its Nov. 16 meeting. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected sign it a short time later.

The civil penalties in Oddo’s bill would be in addition to existing criminal penalties that call for a maximum of one year in jail and a fine of as much as $2,500.

Councilmen Michael McMahon (D-North Shore) and Andrew Lanza (R-South Shore) are among the measure’s 31-co-sponsors. It is also supported by clergymen like Rabbi Moshe Katzman, the leader of Chabad Lubavitch of Staten Island.

Katzman said his synagogue, at 289 Harold St. in Willowbrook, was victimized Oct. 22, when unidentified miscreants gathered outside the synagogue and fired three paintballs at its windows while a service was taking place.

Katzman said the incident was “obviously” distressing and that he favors Oddo’s bill because he supports “anything they can do to stop these kids.”

The bill concerning sporting events would make throwing objects or substances onto a playing surface a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. Right now, such an offense is punishable by 15 days in jail.

The other bill the committee approved yesterday would double the penalties for drivers who fail to yield to emergency vehicles that have their lights and sirens on. The maximum jail term would be doubled to 180 days and the maximum fine would be doubled to $900.