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More than 1,300 parking meters vandalized in Sacramento since September

Sacramento police investigate increase in parking meter vandalism
Sacramento police investigate increase in parking meter vandalism 02:34

SACRAMENTO — Sacramento police say of the city's 6,000-plus meters, more than 1,300 have been damaged in the past three months. 

Busted meters have been located block after block, and friends Christopher Vincent and Dallas Drake have seen it themselves. 

Drake even took photos as evidence of the broken meter at his parking spot to prove to the city that if he got a ticket, he wouldn't be able to pay. 

"The top's smacked open. You couldn't pay it with a credit card, and on top of that, I was going to pay with the digital sticker but the digital sticker is also missing because why not," Drake said. 

Police say that people are breaking them open to steal the loose change. 

"The worst part is it just shows you there is a need there that maybe isn't a parking need. Other needs need to be addressed,"
Drake said. 

The vandalism has led to $400,000 in city repairs for meters meant to bring more money into the city, not less. 

Phil Pluckebaum is the incoming city councilmember for downtown. As Sacramento braces for a projected $77 million budget deficit, possible city layoffs are looming. 

"The lost revenue from parking, it's certainly a hit but the maintenance costs, the repairs that come with that are even greater than the lost revenue at this point," Pluckebaum said. 

As budget cuts loom, a concern is that the stolen change from lost parking revenue adds to a bigger burden in the next round of cuts. 

Sacramento police say they have made four arrests so far for this meter vandalism. They say they have not made any connection between the people arrested.

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