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Fans of the Harry Potter franchise are suspected of vandalising a series of traffic stop signs in the small suburb of Wauwatosa, Milwaukee.
Police have discovered that several signs have had the word 'Voldemort' added in permanent black marker so that they now read 'Stop Voldemort' in reference to the fantasy film's main villain.
"Is it the crime of the century? No. But the problem is it's starting to add up," patrol specialist Paul Liest told the reporters.
It is thought that around 80 signs have been vandalised in the city, although similar markings have also been spotted across the US and in England.
Leist added: "You couldn't find a more important sign to vandalise. It's imperative people can read a stop sign. We'd like to see this come to an end. Besides we've got more important things to attend to."
Speaking to the Chicago Tribune, Captain Jeff Sutter admitted that officers had only realised what the vandalism meant when one policeman's young son came forward to enlighten them.
"It took a seven-year old to tell us what [the graffiti] was," he explained. "We thought it was just some type of new tagger."
Residents have been offered cash rewards for any tips that lead to an arrest. It is estimated that each sign will cost $80 to replace.
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(Agencies)
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日前，美国密尔沃基市沃瓦托萨小镇郊区的很多停车标识被涂鸦，而据人们怀疑，哈利•波特魔法的粉丝们是罪魁祸首。
警方发现，有人用不掉色的墨水笔在一些标识上写上了“伏地魔”字样，因此标识显示出来的是“站住，伏地魔”。“伏地魔”是这部魔幻系列电影中的大魔头。
巡警专家保罗•里斯特在接受记者采访时说：“这是新世纪的犯罪吗？不是，但这个问题现在越来越严重了。”
据称，该市大约有80个标识被涂鸦，而美国其它地区和英国也都已发现类似事件。
里斯特补充说：“停车标识是最重要的标牌了，却还是被涂鸦。人们必须能够看清停车标识。我们希望这种行为马上停止。除了这些我们还有更重要的事情要做。”
杰夫•苏特尔警长在接受《芝加哥论坛报》采访时承认，直到一位警官的小儿子点破天机，大家才明白这个涂鸦是什么意思。
他解释说：“一位七岁的小家伙告诉了我们（这个涂鸦）是什么意思。起初我们还当它是一种新式恶搞。”
当局还悬赏向提供嫌犯线索的居民颁发现金奖励。据估计更换每个标识的费用为80美元。
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