Parlier police vehicle set on fire, officers now on heightened alert
The name of a Parlier police officer was written next to the torched car.
PARLIER, Calif. (KFSN) -- Investigators in Parlier are trying to track down who was responsible for torching a police vehicle.
"We are not going to tolerate this type of behavior," says Parlier police chief David Cerda.
A video of the squad car on fire will be part of the investigation to get to the bottom of who set the fire and why.
"Let these individuals know that this is not going to be tolerated, it's not going to be tolerated in this community or in any community as a matter of fact," says Cerda.
It happened earlier this month at the intersection of Milton and Young. Along with the torched car, the name of a Parlier police officer was written next to it.
Chief Cerda says the department has doubled down on gang activity and getting guns off the street, but it's not clear if the police car set on fire is gang retaliation.
"There is suspicion. We haven't ruled that out," says Cerda. "But there are also random acts of violence. There are a number of other motives that we are looking into as well."
He says the department will be on heightened alert and riding in doubles when possible. Other law enforcement agencies and surveillance cameras set up throughout the city are among the resources they are using to help them figure out who did this.
"This is the taxpayer's money, you know. They destroyed one of our police squads," says Parlier Mayor Alma Beltran.
Mayor Beltran says the vehicle is worth $40,000, plus the cost of law enforcement enhancements inside and out. Officials say the suspect faces felony vandalism and arson charges. If more than one person was involved, conspiracy charges could be possible as well.
Parlier police say that you can report any information about this incident to them anonymously.
