Sheriff Sandra Hutchens along with officials of the Orange County Transportation Authority and the City of Stanton briefed the press on Monday on a new tool being used in the fight against graffiti.
The Department press relase follows.
To read the Orange County Register's news story click here.
For many people, graffiti’s presence suggests the government’s failure to protect citizens and property and control lawbreakers. There are huge public costs associated with graffiti; an estimated $12 billion a year is spent cleaning up graffiti in the United States. Graffiti contributes to lost revenue associated with reduced ridership on transit systems, reduced retail sales and declines in property value. In addition, graffiti generates the perception of blight and heightens fear of gang activity.
U.S. Department of Justice report on Graffiti, August 2004
Tracking Automated and Graffiti Reporting System (TAGRS )
TAGRS is used to store and track graffiti incidents. It is designed to help law enforcement identify and prosecute graffiti suspects.
Data is received from two main sources. City graffiti abatement teams use a cellular telephone outfitted with a camera and equipped with a Global Positioning System to record a picture, location and data of graffiti and the cost of removal. Once the data is recorded, the abatement crews clean up the graffiti. Data is also obtained from crime reports. Law enforcement uses the database to help identify graffiti vandals by name, moniker and gang or tagging crew. Once a vandal is identified the data base is used to determine if that individual committed other graffiti crimes and for the possibilities for cities to seek restitution. Graffiti data and photos can be compared for similarities to link known taggers to other defacements in the system.
The beauty of the system is that it allows for data sharing between law enforcement officers throughout the county. The city of LaMirada has also joined and other cities in Los Angeles County are considering joining the network. The data sharing makes it more likely that law enforcement officers can put together comprehensive cases against taggers who strike widespread areas without regard to city lines.
TAGRS is now available to all cities in Orange County and interest in participation has come from several cities outside of the county.
TAGRS has already become a useful tool in the campaign against graffiti. Even in this early stage of deployment, TAGRS has been responsible for solving dozens of cases of graffiti related crimes. The recent law to make parents pay to clean the property defaced by their children, coupled with innovation like TAGRS gives law enforcement hope that graffiti will soon be removed as a crime that appears to go unpunished.
The system was developed by Department personnel, including computer programmer Ramin Aminloo, with assistance from Sergeant Dan Elsner of Stanton Police Services and Deputies Dave Beeler and John Murray of the Orange County Transportation Authority.