Dog Feces Smeared On Door, Bacon Left: Tinley Park Couple Targeted In Perceived Hate Crime Against Police

TINLEY PARK, IL — A Tinley Park couple was stunned early Thursday by what they call a case of mistaken identity, act of vandalism—and perceived hate crime aimed at local police.

Brett Snow discovered dog feces on his family's doorstep and more smeared across the door, along with a package of bacon left on the mat—an act he first thought was a misunderstanding but now believes was targeted because the perpetrator thought he was a police officer.

Snow—who serves as a deputy fire chief in a neighboring community—drives an unmarked department vehicle that has often been parked in their driveway at 180th and Oak Park Avenue, visible to the community.

"I opened the door, getting ready to step out, I see this package of bacon," Snow told Patch. "It wasn’t alarming at the time, then I looked at it close, and there was a pile of dog poop on it.

"My immediate thought was, 'they got us wrong.' There’s a misunderstanding here—they think we’re not picking our dog poop up."

But Snow and his wife Julie are diligent about cleaning up after their pet, Snow said. And then, it got worse.

"As I was getting ready to shut the door, I noticed my whole door was covered in it," Snow said. "How obnoxious.

"I’m not going to let this go. This is vandalism."

Snow called Tinley Park police to file a report, and the officer pointed out that whoever had done it seemed to think that Snow was a cop, pointing to a derisive "pig" trope used when referring to police.

"It went from 'maybe this is a misunderstanding' to 'this is now a threat to my family,'" Snow said. "I am not taking that lightly at all. I don’t want to be silent about it."

Snow, who has been in the fire service for 34 years, said he is concerned about the implication of the act amid heightened tensions surrounding police.

"What’s happening in today’s society—cops are getting shot," Snow said. "It's disrespect to police officers, and first responders.

"This isn't just random. It’s hatred toward police officers, first responders."

Snow set to work to remove the feces, which had frozen to the door. The cleanup took approximately 2.5 hours.

"It was premeditated," Snow said, of the vandalism. "Think about the amount of dog poop they used. This was building and waiting."

Snow and his family did not have a Ring camera installed at the time, but he's hoping someone in the neighborhood might have footage. Snow believes it happened in the overnight or early morning hours. He was last outside Wednesday night around 6 p.m. to retrieve a package, then stepped out the door again at 5:30 a.m. Thursday to walk the family dog. It was then he found the vandalism.

Julie and Brett Snow have lived in Tinley Park just over a year, Julie said, and they keep mostly to themselves.

"I feel violated," Julie Snow said, "and it’s very disheartening to me. ... I think that there’s such a terrible divide in our country, and it pains me, for our first responders—police, fire—they just try to do their jobs the best they can, and I think that there’s some bad seeds everywhere, no matter what you do, no matter what your profession. These people risk their lives every day, and I just think it’s very alarming that someone would take it to that level."

They are grateful greater damage wasn't done, Julie said, but still feel unsettled by the incident.

"My husband, he’s one of the good guys," she said. "It’s just very upsetting to me. … This is crushing to me."

"It’s one of those things you can’t take lightly," Snow said. "You never know how this could escalate. Cops are being shot, being targeted. It’s a very volatile society."

Snow said if able to identify the offender, he intends to press charges. He's asking neighbors to check cameras. It's likely the person will be walking a dog or dogs late-night or early morning.

"Pull together," he said, "and see who saw something."

The family is also having a security camera installed Friday, Snow said.

The perpetrator's boldness shocked Julie Snow.

"You’re pretty bold to do that, right on Oak Park Avenue," she said. "I don’t feel safe, because I feel like—was that just the beginning? People are crazy—it’s a scary world.

"I just don’t feel comfortable right now. There’s enough hate and division in this world. This person, these people—whoever did this—I feel bad for them. It speaks volumes for who they are. They really have no idea who they are."

Anyone who thinks they might have information about the incident should contact Tinley Park Police non-emergency at (708) 444-5300.