Taggers becoming more prolific

Davis,CA,USA

Graffiti incidents this summer rose to an all-time high, with June breaking records after 108 reports of graffiti within the city were reported to the Davis Police Department.

During the past year - June 2003 to June 2004 - graffiti incidents have cost the city more than $26,400 to cover up and repair.

There were 56 reports of graffiti in March, the same number reported for March a year earlier. In April, there were 51 reports of graffiti, up from 45 the year before, and in May there were 57 reports, up from 29 the year prior. In June, the number of incidents reported jumped to 108, up from 71 the year before.

The spike in graffiti in June is due to "a tagging spree by a small group of individuals," according to Sandy Dietrich, volunteer programs coordinator for the city of Davis. "Most of the graffiti we see in Davis is tagging."

Tagging is when a person comes up with a nickname for themselves, often with a phonetic misspelling such as "Stoopid," Dietrich said. Then they write their tag as many times and in as many places as possible.

In June, 40 percent of the incidents involved two tags either appearing alone or together. Ten percent more were the work of one other tagger, she said.

"In my estimation, half of the graffiti incidents documented in June were due to three people," Dietrich said.

Other than "tagging," about 20 to 30 percent of graffiti in Davis involves some gang reference or affiliation, 2 to 3 percent contains hateful expressions and the rest is "traditional-type" graffiti such as "Tommy loves Susie," Dietrich said.

"There has been an increase in gang activity in Davis over the past year; it would make sense to see more gang-related graffiti in the area as well," said Lt. Colleen Turay with the Davis Police Department.

Graffiti is not the only crime on the rise in Davis. Several unknown suspects used an ax to cut down and damage several trees and vandalize wooden benches near the fire pit in Mace Ranch Park on Loyola Drive in late June.

One tree - about 8 inches in diameter and estimated to be about 25 feet tall - was cut completely in half. Other trees had their branches broken and ripped off.

The suspects also threw cement paving stones and beer bottles around the park, according to police reports.

That was not the first time vandalism has occurred in the park. Other park benches had been damaged in the weeks prior to the tree chopping incident, Dietrich said.

"The chopping down of trees is something unusual," she said. "The vandalism has been taken to a new extreme level."

The damage to the trees is estimated at $3,600, Dietrich said.

In June, graffiti calls were being reported at a rate of about 10 incidents per day, which is high considering there are usually about 600 incidents per year, she said.

To combat graffiti in Davis, the Graffiti Abatement Program was adopted by City Council in February 1994. It strives to maintain city parks and facilities in a graffiti-free condition by removing graffiti as soon as it is discovered. This is achieved through the efforts of staff and community volunteers.

While most graffiti is removed by city staff, the city has 20 trained "Graffitibuster" volunteers who have adopted a park, greenbelt or bike tunnel and have the supplies necessary to keep them graffiti-free. For most volunteers this means a graffiti bucket supplied with graffiti remover and scrubbers. Other volunteers are equipped with paint and painting supplies.

The program itself is more than a simple cleanup operation, Dietrich said. Records are kept of each graffiti incident.

"The city works in partnership with the Davis Joint Unified School District, other agencies and the community at large to share information in a coordinated effort to prevent and eradicate graffiti and to solve this pervasive problem," Dietrich said.

In addition to Graffitibuster volunteers, various individuals and groups have volunteered their time for special graffiti abatement projects. For example, volunteers have repainted picnic tables throughout the city.

Several bike tunnels and a bicycle highway overcrossing were painted with recycled paint by Davis teens. A UC Davis service group painted over the graffiti that covered the city's skate park.

"None of these projects would have taken place without the volunteers who wished to give their time and energy to make them happen," Dietrich said.

In addition, restitution is sought from those arrested for graffiti vandalism.

A Graffiti Reward Fund was established by the Davis Chamber of Commerce in 1994 to reward those who provide information which results in the arrest of graffiti vandals. The city maintains a hot line - 757-5600 - at which callers can report graffiti incidents.

- Reach Staci Dennis at sdennis@davisenterprise.net