LEAGUE CITY, Texas – One yard sign getting a lot of attention in League City.
Mark and Stephanie Kovich thought it was funny and they never meant to offend anyone.
"You know with the elections going on and stuff I just thought it was funny, I wanted a sign in my yard as well," Mark said. "I think it's so ridiculous that people are so offended by it, I can see both sides of the fence with kids and stuff but it was just meant to be in fun."
The family's surveillance cameras were rolling this morning when a man came to the front door of their home. After a few seconds, when no one answers, he pulls the yard sign and leaves.
The Kovich's were shocked when they realized the man on the video was Michael Kramm, the League City chief of police.
"He said, 'Do you know you have this sign in your yard?' I said, yes sir, we thought it was funny. He said, 'It's vulgar, it's vulgar,' and just walked off." Mark said.
Stephanie posted the video on her Facebook page, which has been viewed more than 3,000 times.
The police chief told us in a statement:
"The League City Police Department was made aware of a home security video posted on a social media today involving Chief Michael Kramm. As always, we strive to address all community concerns. While the concerns over the video are from a select group of people, we want all of our League City family to know exactly what is occurring in the video.
As Chief Kramm was driving through his League City neighborhood this morning on his way to work, he received a phone call from his wife stating a neighbor may have been “pranked” because a yard sign calling a neighbor a profane name had been placed in the yard. Chief Kramm went to look for the residence and once located, and out of concern that the resident had been “pranked” or that the Police Department would begin to receive calls to address the potential offensive language, he tried to make contact with the homeowner by ringing the doorbell twice. He can be seen in the video ringing the doorbell and then waiting before ringing it again. After not receiving an answer and believing the homeowner was not home, Chief Kramm pulled the staked sign out of the yard. At that time, it was not known whether the sign belonged on the property or not, and so he laid the sign down on the ground undamaged. Chief Kramm then walked back to his truck to leave. At that time, the female homeowner opened the door and apologized for her husband’s sign. Chief Kramm agreed that it could be considered vulgar or profane by people driving by or by residents whose children wait at the bus stop two houses away.
“I live in this community and I care about the people I serve. As chief, I can't be offended, but I’m not above calls for service in our community. My sole reason for stopping by this resident’s home this morning was to prevent any concern that the homeowner may have felt if they believed they were pranked and, if the sign was in fact intentionally placed, for the other residents that would have been offended,” stated Chief Michael W. Kramm."