It's Vandalism Season in Northeast Ohio

One night last week, some drivers on Colleen Court and Waterford Parkway found . 

The week before, the clear wrap -- apparently intended to trip up cars as they drive through it -- was strung on Cardinal Circle and Homestead Park. 

On Saratoga Trail, a resident reported someone knocked down his mailbox and egged his house.

And on Whitney Road, a resident awoke to find someone had -- apparently human -- all over his car.

Welcome to springtime in Strongsville.

"Lately, we've also had a lot of spray-painting," Strongsville police Lt. John Janowski said. "That just started up a few weeks ago."

The list of mischief goes on an on, from the mild -- doorbells rung in the middle of the night, condiments squirted on driveways, toilet paper in trees, eggs thrown at cars -- to the severe -- mailboxes knocked over, items stolen from yards, graffiti spray painted on buildings.

As soon as the weather warms up, so does criminal mischief.

Last year, Strongsville police received 323 reports of property damage and 213 complaints of other types of vandalism, according to the department's annual report.

That doesn't include ding-dong-ditch complaints and harassing acts that don't cause any damage, as well as incidents residents don't bother to report.

They're not easy crimes to prevent or to solve. The vandals are often on foot and can easily scatter into back yards when they see a police car.

Still, police employ a few tactics to try to trip up the mischief-makers. The department puts officers on foot and bicycle patrol in neighborhoods during the warm-weather months to put them on even footing with young vandals roaming the streets.

"It's easier for the officer to get around that way," Janowski said. "The kids can hear a car coming and duck behind bushes."

In problem areas, officers sometimes use night vision goggles so they can see the culprits before they can flee.

Otherwise, police suggest residents install lights outside their homes to discourage vandals from targeting their property. 

They also encourage residents to call in any suspicious activity as soon as they see or hear it.

"A lot of times, we're taking a report and someone says, 'I heard something during the night, but I didn't look,'" Janowski said. 

He urges residents who hear a noise at an odd time to check it out and call police then, not in the morning. 

"The next morning, they're gone," he said. "There's not much we can do."