Graffiti is more than an eyesore or nuisance. Just ask Martin Zambrano.

The director of Pasco's Graffiti Abatement Program has worked six years to keep the city's buildings, walls and other potential canvases free of graffiti.

However, GAP, which offers a 24-hour hotline to report graffiti, has done more than just improve the city's visual aesthetics, said Zambrano, who also serves as Pasco Municipal Court services specialist. It has helped police put a finger on the pulse of Pasco's gang activity.

"It's like another language," he said. "You have English, you have Spanish and you have tagging."

Gangs use graffiti to communicate by marking their territory or crossing out the name of another gang and putting up theirs. Most messages are spray painted, but they scribble with broad-tipped markers and paint sticks or carve into glass and wood with etching tools.

But a decrease in gang activity in Pasco has meant a drop in gang tagging, said Dot French, municipal court administrator.

In 1997, 1,445 reports of graffiti were either spotted or called in to GAP. In 2002, just 212 graffiti incidents were reported.

"You used to be able to drive around Pasco and everywhere you looked, there was graffiti," French said. "It's not like we don't have a problem, but it's not like we're getting hit with it."

Still, authorities track the gangs that do remain -- police know of eight to 10 -- by their tags.

Gang graffiti is far from artwork, said Dave Reardon, Pasco police crime specialist and analyst.

He puts graffiti into two basic categories: gang graffiti and tagging. Gang graffiti relates to violence, drugs and other criminal activity with little artistic value.

Taggers vandalize, but they often try to make their graffiti artistic with vibrant colors, intricate designs and characters. Mural-type "throw-ups" by taggers are common in big cities, such as New York.

By working with GAP, Pasco police have been able to geographically track some gangs, Reardon said.

"It tells us where we can focus our efforts rather than focusing on the whole city," he said. "Ninety-nine percent of the time, it's marking their territory."

Every piece of graffiti handled by GAP is photographed, dated and kept on record.

"Everything can be used as clues," said Zambrano, who has driven throughout the city and actually seen people marking up walls. They've included gang members, cousins and even a brother-sister team.

Since 1995, GAP has used convicted offenders, who perform community service as part of their sentence, to clean up their own work.

Those convicted of tagging face a minimum $250 fine and 50 hours community service. A person's graffiti that has been recorded by GAP can be used in court, even if it has been taken down.

The service is free, and graffiti will be covered with paint that's donated to GAP. However, residents must pay for paint that exactly matches their walls.

It takes up to two days to take down graffiti once it is reported, but many of the reports are addressed the same day.

Pasco residents can report graffiti to GAP by calling 545-3474.

Information was not available last week on Richland's graffiti removal efforts.

Kennewick's graffiti problems are handled through the police department and parks and recreation department.

Juveniles in the Benton County Juvenile Justice Center do the removal and repainting work to erase graffiti.