Much of the economy has been shut down due to the coronavirus.

What still pays, however, is being alert to potential mischief.

“We’ve seen an uptick in theft and vandalism,” La Conner Mayor Ramon Hayes told the Weekly News last Thursday. “It’s a strange time. We all feel more vulnerable.”

In response, the Town earlier this month hired a private security firm to conduct downtown night patrols through May 4 while the statewide “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” emergency order is in effect.

The Town Council has since authorized that the range of those patrols be expanded from the busin...