Benicia PD Does It Again!! Great work! Let's just hope that the Solano DA doesn't let us down by letting these guys off easy

Based on a call from an alert citizen, Benicia police officers arrested four Vacaville residents for a felony graffiti / tagging incident that occurred on the 300 block of Warwick Drive. This is the latest in a series of graffiti related investigations that police hope will reduce the amount of graffiti incidents around Benicia.

At 2:23 am on Wednesday morning, Benicia police received a phone call from a resident on the 2000 block of Havenhill Drive reporting that three male subjects were walking around a car in the area. Responding officers located the vehicle - a 2005 white Toyota Corolla - parked in front of a residence but could not locate the three subjects. A check with the resident where the car was parked revealed that the car did not belong to them and they had not seen it before.

Officers then conducted surveillance on the car for about 40 minutes. At 3:03 am, officers saw four subjects return to the car and take off. Officers initiated a stop on the vehicle on the 100 block of Warwick Drive. Contacted where two adults and two juveniles, all from Vacaville. During the car stop, officers found 24 aerosol spray paint cans and two of the subjects had spray paint on their hands. A check of the area found graffiti spray painted on a 60' long retaining / sound wall on the 300 block of Warwick Drive that backs up to Highway 780. All four admitted their involvement in coming to Benicia to "tag" and to "tagging" the retaining wall (photos attached).

Since the estimated damage from the graffiti was in excess of $400, all were booked for felony vandalism charges. Those booked were:

1) Troy ORETA, 20 year old Vacaville resident and driver of the car; booked into the Solano County Jail for felony vandalism and an outstanding $500 misdemeanor warrant from Solano County;

2) Joseph CAUDLE, 18 year old Vacaville resident; booked into the Solano County Jail for felony vandalism.

3) Two 17 year old Vacaville residents; booked into the Solano County Juvenile Hall for felony vandalism, minors in possession of aerosol container, and one of the 17 years old was also booked for violation of their Solano County juvenile probation.

"Once again, a citizen provided the call that led to an arrest of those committing crimes in our community," Lt. Mike Daley said. "Our officers did a great job of surveillance on the car and eventually apprehending these suspects. Generally our tagging and graffiti crimes have been committed by youths who live in our town. This is the first case in a while in which we had someone from a neighboring town come here to tag. Hopefully this arrest and the prosecution of these four will deter similar events in our city."

Benicia police are looking through incidents to see if the markings are similar to other incidents in town. In addition, Benicia police will be providing Vacaville police with information on the case to compare to incidents in their city. For information on this press release, contact Lt. Daley at (707)590-4259. Anyone with information about graffiti crimes or tagging in Benicia is asked to call School Resource Officer Sergio Cruz at (707)746-4253 or Crime Stoppers at (707)644-STOP (7867).

Benicia PD Nabs Taggers - Great Job!!

Kudos to Lt. Mike Daley, Officer Sergio Cruz, and the entire Benicia Police Department for a fine job in nabbing these taggers. I hope that all available resources, including taking away the taggers driving privileges and stiff penalties, are sought for these delinquents that have striven to blight our community. We need to demonstrate to other potential vandals that we are serious about enforcement.

Benicia needs a ZERO TOLERANCE policy against graffiti.

My congratulations and thanks to Lt. Daley and his team.

..Ross Sagun


>>> Lt. Mike Daley 4/15/2009 10:49 AM >>>

Following a variety of leads, Benicia Police detectives have identified and interviewed a graffiti "tagger" who has been active in Benicia for over a year. The suspect is a 19 year old Benicia youth. In addition, a 15 year old Benicia youth and another 14 year old Benicia youth have been issued misdemeanor citations for vandalism for separate incidents.

"We have seen graffiti around the city over the past year," Lt. Mike Daley said. "Hopefully this investigation and the arrests we anticipate making will significantly decrease this problem."

Tagging is when an individual marks a particular name or symbol on property. Graffiti is when the suspect draws or paints a design on property.

School Resource Officer Sergio Cruz, who oversees graffiti investigations for the department, developed a lead on the 19 year old suspect and Benicia resident in early March. Based on SRO Cruz's investigation and interviews, it was determined that the this subject had at least two "tags" seen around town - PEWK and GURP along with a "Hard Times", or HT, graffiti marking. It is suspected that this subject has been tagging certain areas of Benicia since the beginning of 2008. "We will be pursuing felony vandalism charges from the District Attorney's Office due to the amount of damage caused by this one person," Lt. Daley said.

"Taggers target certain areas of our town like parks, a tunnel that runs under highway 780, and some of our shopping centers, " Lt. Daley added. "In addition, taggers will mark roadway signs, utility boxes, or anything else they can put their tag or sign on. We think these latest investigations will put a stop to some of the tagging and markings taking place."

The City of Benicia has a pro-active stance in the immediate removal of graffiti. The City has one full time civilian Community Preservation Officer, Roger Core, who works for the Fire Department. However, this officer has worked directly with the police department in documenting graffiti incidents and gaining the cooperation of businesses in its immediate removal. "Roger has done an excellent job in assisting our department with these graffiti investigations," Daley said. "His work with Detective Cruz should lead to the arrest of others committing these crimes."

According to Daley, there are a couple of groups of taggers they would like to obtain information on relative to graffiti crimes. "We are in the process of trying to identity additional groups and taggers around town. We encourage anyone with information on graffiti crimes to contact us and help curtail this problem."

For information on this press release, contact Lt. Mike Daley at (707)590-4259. Anyone with information on graffiti vandals or taggers are asked to contact School Resource Officer Sergio Cruz at (707)746-4253 or Crime Stoppers at (707)644-STOP (7867)

Is there any money to fight graffiti and vandalism, or just bus shelters?

The City of Benicia has asked for their share of President Obama's stimulus package pie. Admittedly, many of these requests have merit. But, don't you think the City should reserve just a little bit of that money to fight Benicia's graffiti and vandalism problem? Do you think the battle to keep our neighborhood's safe and blight-free might just be a higher priority than bus shelters?

Now, I'm not suggesting that the the idea of funding bus shelters should be thrown out. What I am saying is this: Is it just lip service when the City keeps telling us that there is no money for graffiti cameras? I hope not.

I've done just a little research on this and have found camera solutions costing as little as $300. That's right... $300!! How much is a bus shelter? And besides, I will take bets that the proposed bus shelters will be victimized by vandalism and graffiti, costing much more than $300.

Where is the Benicia City Council's priorities? It will soon be "show time". Time tells all...time to put their money where their collective mouths are.

..Ross Sagun

from the Times-Herald:



So far, the city has applied for:

* $400,000 to resurface East Second Street from Lake Herman Road to west of Park Road;

* $4 million to develop a water reuse project for the Valero refinery;

* $2 million to install an ionic exchange system to cleanse the city's drinking water;

* $130,000 to create a Sky Valley rainwater management plan to help keep pollution out of Benicia's water supply.

Other projects the city hopes to identify or secure funds for include a new police station, more police officers, fire station renovations, a hiking trail, a bus shelter and a library expansion project, among other things.

Contact staff writer Tony Burchyns at tburchyns@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6831.
Times Herald

Stakeouts aim to curb graffiti

By Brent Begin
Examiner Staff Writer 3/18/09

San Francisco officials say they have seen an increase in complaints about graffiti. Examiner file photo SAN FRANCISCO – Police are turning to stakeouts in order to nab graffiti vandals.

The City has seen an uptick in complaints about graffiti, specifically to the 311 call center.

A series of stake-out operations are planned between the California Highway Patrol and the Police Department. The law enforcement agencies are targeting overpasses and freeway signs after a series of bold vandalism incidents on Highway 101.

“It’s costing The City millions,” said Mohammed Nuru, the Department of Public Works deputy director, who oversees graffiti cleanup for The City. “They’re using climbing gear. They’re sophisticated and climbing up sheer surfaces.”

After averaging about 1,400 calls a month, that number climbed in December to more than 3,000. Those calls have continued to roll in at a steady pace, and city officials want to catch the vandals in the act.

Officer Christopher Putz of the San Francisco Police Department’s graffiti unit said he believes the increase is not in graffiti incidents, but in citizen reporting of the vandalism.

Nuru is heading a graffiti task force, which is lobbying to pass even stricter policies regarding graffiti in upcoming months, including a law prohibiting spray-painted vehicles from parking in a residential area and creating a Superior Court position that deals strictly with vandalism cases.

Other cities have installed barbed wire around posts so they are more difficult to climb. Nuru said they hope to catch the recent vandals before turning San Francisco into a “prison yard.”

The hardest-hit areas are the Financial District, SoMa, the Mission and Chinatown, according to authorities. Some neighborhood advocates said they have not noticed the increase.

“I haven’t seen a huge difference than what it was,” said Erick Arguello, who heads the Lower 24th Street Merchant and Neighborhood Association. “It comes and goes, just like crime.”

Keith Goldstein, who heads the Potrero Hill Merchants Association, said he recently followed up on a complaint about graffiti, but didn’t find an increase in his neighborhood.

City officials are also looking to boost the reward amount for information about graffiti vandals.

The City’s Graffiti Rewards Fund typically offers residents $250 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects. However, the reward has been boosted to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who took part in defacing highway signs last weekend on southbound Highway 101 at Third and Bayshore streets.

To apply for the reward, visit www.sfgov.org/dpw or call 311.

Surge in graffiti complaints

From July to November, graffiti complaints to The City’s 311 call center averaged about 1,400 per month.

Month Complaints
December 3,066
January 3,396
February 2,668
Through March 17 1,681

Source: Department of Public Works

bbegin@sfexaminer.com

One City Council Rises to the Occasion

Anti-graffiti ordinance approved by Grover Beach City Council

Posted: March 17, 2009 10:47 AM

Monday, March 16, 2009

Reported by: Emily Kiefer

Leaders in Grover Beach are working to keep the city cleaner.

Monday night, the city council unanimously approved a proposal for an updated graffiti ordinance. It's designed to replace the ordinance already in place.

Among some of the changes:

• The new measure will call for graffiti to be removed within 72 hours instead of 15 days.
• A clearer plan for graffiti prevention, including education in the community and schools.
• And a reward system for reporting offenders.

A second reading of the ordinance is scheduled for April 6. It will then go into effect 30 days later.

Cameras help catch graffiti vandals

Arrest in case of Staten Island graffiti vandal caught on camera

Alleged vandal arrested less than a day after video is posted on silive

Saturday, March 14, 2009

By FRANK DONNELLY

STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 15-year-old alleged graffiti vandal was arrested yesterday, less than 24 hours after a video of him defacing a Concord deli was posted on silive.com, the Advance's home on the Web.

Police said those images, captured by high-tech security cameras at My Deli & Grocery on Rhine Avenue, along with other information, helped them track down the suspect.

The video first appeared on silive.com around 2:45 p.m. Thursday and still photos ran in yesterday's Advance.

Authorities did not release the suspect's name, or neighborhood, due to his age. He was charged with single counts of criminal mischief and making graffiti, said Detective Joseph Cavitolo, an NYPD spokesman.

The arrest came on the same day a graffiti scourge from Midland Beach was sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to pay $5,000 restitution. Joseph Battaglia, 19, was accused of plastering his tag, "Rank," or an abbreviated version, "Ra," in 75 different incidents since January 2007. Battaglia pleaded guilty in January to two misdemeanor counts.

"This shows how working together helps make our neighborhoods a better place to live," Hamim (Shah) Syed, who owns My Deli & Grocery, said yesterday. "We appreciate all the work the police and the Staten Island Advance did and we are glad they apprehended the young man who was responsible for the graffiti. While we feel sorry for his parents, we hope he learns a lesson from this experience and chooses a more positive path in the future."

Two weeks ago, Syed installed four video cameras as part of $9,000 spent on renovations, which included repainting the building.

The security cameras allegedly caught the youth in the act of spray-painting an indecipherable tag on the side of the building early Wednesday morning.

The video shows a hooded male with a backpack skulking around the store exterior about 12:45 a.m. After a few cars have passed, he pulls out a can of spray paint and defaces a wall behind an ice box. Then he walks away.

According to Syed, the vandal also sprayed graffiti on the side of the building facing a neighboring business, All Tire Repair Shop, but that crime was committed off-camera.

How one California city nabs taggers

Corona's anti-graffiti effort nets 16 arrests in a month

10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, February 18, 2009

By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise

Using a graffiti-tracking system and a three-week enforcement blitz, Corona police have made a string of arrests they believe will help wipe out a nagging problem in the city.

Graffiti has been one of the most visible and complained-about crime issues in Corona in recent years.

But city police say several anti-graffiti initiatives are starting to bear fruit.

In about a month, Corona police have made 16 graffiti-related arrests, including eight of the city's top 10 taggers, police said.

Those 16 people are believed to be responsible for at least 1,028 acts of vandalism that caused an estimated $16,126 in damage.

Corona police Detective Bob Newman said that in the past, motorists on Main Street would see graffiti on every light pole.

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William Wilson Lewis III / The Press-Enterprise

Corona police Officer Gary Griffitts worked with gang detectives for several weeks in the recent enforcement blitz against graffiti crimes. "I feel like it's making a difference," he said.

A concerted enforcement effort involving police, public works and parks employees has changed that, he said.

"If you drive the 91 freeway within the last three weeks, you'd see that there isn't any paint on walls that (previously) have been hit really hard," Newman said.

The city's major anti-graffiti effort began 2008, in part as a response to a change in the nature of the problem.

Three to five years ago, Newman said, most graffiti in Corona was gang-related -- marking territory.

Since then it has shifted toward tagging -- self-expression or art.

Many taggers are young and hope to become famous, Newman said.

"They want to be artists," he said. "They want to get their name out there within the graffiti world, so that's what they turn to."

Story continues below

But to city officials and homeowners, tagging is vandalism.

The city offers rewards for tips that lead to graffiti arrests.

Park rangers started a program using volunteers to watch city parks, frequent targets of taggers.

Police say what may have made the biggest difference is a Web-based graffiti-tracking system that can compile and show all instances of graffiti associated with a particular tag and where they occurred.

That allows police to hold taggers accountable for many more incidents, Newman said.

"We're hitting them with not just one or five, we're hitting them with 183 (tags) that we've found with this graffiti tracker," he said.

Another weapon used during the recent enforcement blitz was Corona police Officer Gary Griffitts, who worked with gang detectives for several weeks because of his special interest in graffiti crimes.

It's too early for statistical results, but Griffitts said he thinks graffiti probably has decreased in Corona in the past month.

"I feel like it's making a difference," he said. "That's my job -- hopefully you can keep some of those kids from doing it again."

Bobby Spiegel, president of Congregation Beth Shalom and the Corona Chamber of Commerce, already has felt the impact of the enforcement push.

Someone tagged Congregation Beth Shalom's new building, which is nearly completed.

Police said the tagger responsible for that vandalism was one of those recently arrested.

"They were pretty ingenious about how they were able to capture the person," Spiegel said. "Graffiti over the last six months has been cleaned up tremendously."

Police are proud of their success, but they said graffiti requires constant vigilance.

They're also turning their attention to recovering the cost of the damage through restitution.

"What the kids need to know," said Corona police Sgt. Kurt Yinger, "is that we're not going to tolerate it and their parents are going to pay for it."

Reach Alicia Robinson at 951-36... or arobinson@PE.com

Meeting scheduled with Benicia Police Department

[meeting postponed until Wednesday,  February 25, 2009]

The Benicia Police Department has offered to meet with me to discuss Benicia's graffiti problem. Here are the issues that I plan to discuss at our meeting today (2-20-09) at 4pm. I will keep you advised of what transpires. Please email me with any other issues or questions that you would like me to raise. My email address is rsagun@sbcglobal.net

..Ross Sagun

2/20/09

Dear Officer Cruz:

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me later this afternoon to discuss Benicia's growing problem with graffiti. I am pleased that the Benicia Police Department has decided to appoint you as our Graffiti Officer.

So that we may make the best use of our time, here is a list of issues that I would like to discuss with you.

1. who is doing the graffiti
   
2. who has been arrested
   
3. who in city government is charged with overseeing the problem/strategy/budget of this problem
   
4. what is the rate of occurrence of graffiti crimes (how many have occurred in 2008 vs 2007)
   
5. what is the criteria for classifying incidents (incident number? How do Roger Core's reports get integrated into the stats?)
   
6. what is the cost of graffiti abatement and enforcement
   
7. what is the budget for graffiti abatement and enforcement
   
8. what is the status of the New Year's Day arrest at BHS
   
9. what happened at the X-Park and what is being done about it
   
10. what is the city's strategy to attack the problem
    
11. where are the graffiti hotspots in Benicia
    
12. when will the xpark be remediated and reopened
    
13. when are graffiti offenses being committed? (e.g. mostly at night?)
    
14. how does the BPD investigate and catalog graffiti offenses
    
15. how does the BPD process graffiti-based evidence (e.g. paint cans located at scenes, graffiti indicating specific names in its content)
    

I would also like to get your feedback on the following ideas:

1. the use of cameras to catch suspects, as other cities have successfully done
   
2. reward system
   
3. tip hotline
   
4. graffiti page on the website
   
5. school information program
   

Thanks again to you and BPD for being responsive to the community's concerns about this problem. I am looking forward to meeting with you later today.

..Ross Sagun

This says it all. Haven't we had enough of this nonsense?

Benicia needs the following NOW to stop this graffiti nonsense:

• a strengthened graffiti ordinance that punishes the perpetrators, not the victims
• a reward system for information leading to the arrest of taggers
• a tip hotline
• a website showing the latest tags and asking for information leading to the taggers
• a portable, covert camera system that can be easily relocated to graffiti/vandalism hotspots
• an anti-graffiti/vandalism awareness program in our schools
  
• making the arrest and conviction of taggers a priority, which is not now the case. Just ask: When was the last graffiti arrest?

Until we get serious about this problem, its only going to get worse.

..Ross Sagun

Massive Graffiti Attack at Benicia Community Park

It looks like Benicia's graffiti problem isn't going to go away anytime soon. Vandals hit the skateboard park at Benicia's Community Park within the last couple of days. The damage is so extensive that the facility has been closed, at least temporarily. It is anyone's guess as to when it will reopen. I went up there today to see the damage. There were a few people using it despite it being closed.

Removing this graffiti will be difficult, read EXPENSIVE. It can't be powerwashed because that will pit the surface, causing a dangerous condition for skateboarders. It has to be scrubbed off.

How much more money is going to be wasted while the City of Benicia contemplates getting serious about stopping this graffiti? I've heard one estimate that Benicia is probably spending about $40,000 in abatement costs annually. Say, that's about 80 times the cost of a cheap camera system and about 16 times the cost of a professional system used by other cities. Maybe Benicia doesn't suffer from the same budget woes that everyone else is experiencing. Who knows?

Isn't it curious that the City cares enough about the recycling dumpster at the Corp Yard off E. 2nd St. to put up 3, yes 3, surveillance cameras, but so far none have been planned for the graffiti problem? I guess the dumpster is a higher priority, and for that I am truly disappointed.

..Ross Sagun

They are back! Graffiti vandals strike again.

The graffiti vandals are at it again. This is about the 5th time my brick wall has been hit. Last week it was the tunnel, again.

When is the City of Benicia going to get serious about stopping this activity? How many more times is the City going to have to repaint the tunnel? How many more police reports are going to have to be taken? There were no less than 50 new graffiti tags that popped up over the holiday, according to the City.

When is the City of Benicia, specifically the Benicia City Council, going to finally do the right thing...that is, put up a camera? I say the time is NOW. The cost is minimal - potentially less than $300. I will volunteer the use of my property. The City has $20,000 to spend on Harleys. How about a couple of hundred to stop this vandalism?

Come on folks...step up to the plate and do the right thing for us. Let's face it...its not going to go away unless we take action.