Cleaning Up the Streets : For Tom Haner, scourge of vandals, community service isn’t a sentence

In our humble opinion, all graffiti vandalism should be scoured off or painted over by the same urban denizens who subject the public to this kind of tiresome escapade. That’s our solution: Estimate just how much of a mess has been created by the vandal and assign that much square footage as punishment, and a little more for extra measure.

That has begun to happen in the criminal-justice system of Los Angeles and its environs, but that kind of suitable penalty is still too rare. In the meantime, we will all depend on the likes of Tom Haner. This 64-year-old Canyon Country man brings new meaning to the concept of retirement. Haner also serves as an excellent example to anyone who feels too busy or too stressed or too old or too unskilled for significant volunteer work.

As Times reporter Maki Becker pointed out on Wednesday, Haner is a scourge of any vandal who is unlucky enough to cross his path.

What else can you call a person who is willing to patrol his community five mornings every week, beginning at midnight? And the other aspects of his routine are just as staggering for the effort involved. He snaps photos of all new graffiti, sprays chemicals or uses steel wool to help remove it, or paints over it. He has also received $500 awards for making reports that have led to the arrest and conviction of graffiti vandals. The fellow even donates some of that money to other good causes.

And as if all of that wasn’t enough, Haner is a block captain for his Neighborhood Watch group. He serves on the Santa Clarita Pride Committee and the city’s anti-gang task force. He volunteers with the Sheriff’s Department and serves on a local search-and-rescue team.

Haner goes far beyond any reasonable requirement for volunteer work and public service. Too bad every community can’t have such a good neighbor.