I recently had my car egged at around 5:45 p.m. on a Monday in a relatively good neighborhood. I was of course livid and called the police immediately.

Regrettably, there isn't a whole lot that the police can do, but it made me feel better to complain about it. I made up fliers and went door to door looking for a witness and warning my community about the “outlaw” on the loose.

My neighbors were patient and kind as I completely unraveled on their doorsteps.

I received some really good advice. But I was really moved that people cared and were genuinely concerned; not that my car was egged, but because I was so visibly upset.

It restored my faith in the community and my anger and distrust went away. I feel a lot better about it now, which is why I can shrug it off as a prank.

But it doesn't change the fact that misdemeanors seem to be on the rise. I don't have any statistical data to support this claim, but it seems to me that a number of my friends and coworkers have been victim to juvenile harassment.

A lot of these offenses have taken place just outside the city limits where county sheriff deputies are sparse. I heard a rumor that a few Owasco residents have had gasoline siphoned from their vehicles.

When you weigh the two, I think I'd rather have my car egged.

Either way, siphoning gas and egging cars is delinquent behavior at best. But even a small offense is inconvenient and hurtful to the person on the receiving end of the joke. How is the victim supposed to know if the incident is random or calculated?

The police officer asked me if I had any enemies. Enemies? Like Lex Luther? I mean, I laughed it off at first, but what if I do have enemies.

What if I rubbed someone the wrong way with my column? What if I cut someone off in traffic or upset a coworker?

Suddenly everyone is a suspect and you feel very scared and helpless.

The solution is to develop and maintain a community watch. If you don't have a community watch in your area, I would encourage you to start one. If everyone is looking out for their neighbors, it may deter delinquents.

Better yet someone might actually catch one of these punks in the act. Either way, I applaud any steps that will help keep Auburn and the outlying communities safe and friendly.

Estabrook's column appears Mondays and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com.