Tagger trap cameras aid police in battle against graffiti
Los Angeles Times
MONTEBELLO, Calif. | The man approached the wall and began to spray paint with wild abandon.

An alert immediately went off at the Montebello Police Department, and a female voice identified the location: “Tagging at First and Whittier, northeast Floor Shop.” The screens on numerous surveillance monitors flashed red as cameras zoomed in.

There were no arrests. The tagger was part of a recent demonstration of Montebello’s new $1 million anti-graffiti system. The system includes cameras equipped with the “tagger trap” that are designed to catch taggers red-handed along city streets and in parks.

The system produced by Axium Technologies Inc. includes a sensor that reacts to the sound emitted by an aerosol can up to 80 feet away.

When triggered, the system notifies authorities quickly through an electronic link to police headquarters.

Officials plan to install about 120 cameras by the end of December. Of those, 25 will include the special sensors, and the others will provide standard surveillance, officials said.

“So when somebody’s spraying a wall or specific target, this sensor activates the camera … then sends a signal to our dispatch … dispatch zooms in and sends units to the area,” said Detective Ismael Navarro of the Montebello Police Department’s special investigations unit’s graffiti task force. “Even if we don’t catch them in the act, the activity is recorded, so we can always go and rewind.”

City officials hope to reduce the cost of painting over graffiti 40 percent to 50 percent within four years, Navarro said.