Crime & Safety
Exeter Police Investigate Swastika Found On Swasey Parkway
Police are investigating this, the 11th vandalism incident in town, found on the rear of a building; the graffiti was removed Thursday.
EXETER, NH — Police in Exeter are investigating a Swastika painted on a building on the Swasey Parkway.
Chief Stephan Poulin said Thursday that a passerby saw the Swastika on the exterior of a shed and reported it to police. He said investigators believe the graffiti was tagged on the building some time ago. Poulin said police removed the paint from the building.
“While it’s unclear whether this most recent swastika was directed at anyone in particular, the defacing of property in such a manner is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Poulin said. “We’ll continue to investigate the circumstances of this incident, and depending on the results of that investigation, charges are certainly possible.”
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In 2022, police investigated 11 cases of vandalism, including nine tagging incidents and two which featured an image or language perceived to be hateful in nature.
Poulin said police intended to fully prosecute anyone found responsible for these types of incidents — whether in the past within statute of limitations or in the future. He said a hate crime was described as when a perpetrator was "substantially motivated to commit the crime because of hostility towards the victim's religion, race, creed, sexual orientation as defined in RSA 21:49, national origin, sex, or gender identity as defined in RSA 21:53."
Find out what's happening in Exeterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Anyone with information about this or any cases of vandalism can contact police at 603-772-1212.
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