Lafayette crosses knocked down

LAFAYETTE, Calif. (KGO) -- Lafayette police are trying to find out who vandalized several crosses on the city's Hillside Memorial.

Officers believe the vandalism happened sometime Friday night. Investigators found 63 vandalized crosses, 52 of which were knocked over, 11 were damaged. Each cross represents a life lost in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

"Many members of the community see the Lafayette crosses as a symbol for our fallen service members," said Sgt. Dan Nugent with the Lafayette Police Department. "And so this would affect family members of service members, service members themselves, and also the people that have spent countless hours working on the memorial."

This controversial display has drawn national attention since it went up in 2006. At the time, many of the crosses were immediately pulled down by people supporting the troops who felt the crosses showed an anti-war bias.

Police are asking the public to come forward if they saw anything suspicious on the hillside.

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