A CLOSER LOOK -- Cracking the code

Sue Doyle

The scene on Victoria Street that night transformed from tranquillity to

anarchy in the blink of an eye.

Eighty spray-painted symbols saturated benches and signs two minutes

after police patrolled the thoroughfare.

Officers caught up with the offenders right away, but that’s not always

the case with graffiti incidents. The vandalism happens in mere seconds

and then the offenders run off, which makes it difficult to catch and

prosecute them, said Sgt. Clay Epperson of the Costa Mesa Police

Department’s gang detail unit.

But officers have sharpened their knowledge about this type of vandalism

from years of investigating gangs, young children with spray-paint cans

and hate crimes.

Even residents are employed as an extra set of eyes and can receive

monetary rewards for information that leads to the prosecution of these

offenders.

Just last week, the Costa Mesa City Council quadrupled the maximum award

to $2,000, hoping to encourage people to come forward and report

graffiti.

/SH WHEN TAG TEAMS STRIKE

Graffiti tells a story. Like a modern form of hieroglyphics, the cryptic

symbols are sometimes messages from one person to another.

Officers can crack these codes and even identify the offenders through

the spray-painted symbols, which they have broken down to a science. With

this knowledge, police can pounce on the vandalism before it develops

into a bigger community problem.

“Just a couple of kids can intimidate a whole neighborhood. We don’t want

to give them that power, and graffiti sort of extends that power,”

Epperson said.

Not all graffiti stems from gang activity. “Taggers” choose a design to

identify their groups and try to slap it all over town. These groups are

motivated to commit vandalism and unlike gangs are not territorial, said

Sgt. Mike McDermott of the Newport Beach Police Department.

In fact, some residents might see graffiti from taggers and misinterpret

it as a gang problem in the neighborhood.

“It can be some 12-year-old who goes out and can tag four garage doors in

two minutes,” Epperson said. “It’s very difficult for us to catch. So

that’s why we’re trying to reach out to the community to help. We make

every effort to hold every graffiti vandal accountable -- gang-related or

not.”

The thrill and prestige of a chosen spot motivate taggers to target

difficult areas. Marking a freeway overpass, for example, where there is

a greater chances of being caught, is riskier than spraying a desolate

area and therefore gives the tagger more satisfaction, McDermott said.

/SH GANG MESSAGES FROM THE STREETS

Last week, gang graffiti plagued street signs, trees and some light poles

near the Wedge, a popular surf spot at the end of Balboa Boulevard,

McDermott said.

But the gang monikers and street names that branded the tranquil area

themselves helped reveal the culprits.

“Some of this stuff is like a fingerprint as for a style of the person

... It can refer to certain members,” McDermott said.

Both cities try to erase the markings within 48 hours. This takes away

the offenders’ notoriety and discourages others from repeating it,

authorities said.

“Once it’s gone, it’s not the eye pollution you would have if you would

leave it,” McDermott said.

But graffiti can extend beyond spray paint and markers. Vandals also use

etching tools.

Unfortunately, a symbol etched into a window costs more to repair than

cleaning up paint. Many times, businesses just have to live with the

etching, Epperson said.

Depending on the amount of damage, graffiti can be a felony. Anything

that causes more than $5,000 in damages can activate a felony charge, and

the offender could end up in state prison, Epperson said.

/SH MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

At times, graffiti is actually a warning from one gang to its opponents.

Rivals might pass through town and leave their scrawl to antagonize

another gang. It’s considered a challenge to enter another gang’s

neighborhood and do that, McDermott said.

Officers can see tensions mounting through graffiti. It foreshadows

violence, and police use it as a form of intelligence.

/SH A COMMUNITY PROBLEM AND SOLUTION

In Newport Beach, graffiti was more visible years ago and has reduced

because of lower levels of gang activity, McDermott said.

Even tagging doesn’t happen as frequently, which McDermott attributes in

part to its quick cleanup.

Costa Mesa police report a decline in overall gang violence within the

past two years but say vandalism has remained a consistent problem.

“The city has made a huge commitment to suppress the gang problem at the

lowest level. It has been successful,” Epperson said.

FYI

Residents can call Costa Mesa’s hotline, (714) 327-7491, to report

graffiti and become eligible for a reward. Callers can remain anonymous.