Guest Column, Rockford Register Star, April 4, 2004

Expert Tells how to stop graffiti

I read with interest the story about the graffiti incidents in Rockford. The main issue with Rockford’s graffiti problem is that Rockford does not have anyone working full time on taking these kids off the street. It does not do any good to take pictures of the vandalism, if you do nothing about it. All you end up with is a box full of graffiti pictures.

Several years ago, I worked with Jim Powers on a graffiti case in Rockford. At the time, I was working on graffiti cases full time as a law enforcement officer in California and had made several hundred arrest of graffiti vandals. Jim asked me to look at some photos of graffiti he had taken around Rockford and asked if I would provide a written opinion, since I was court-recognized as a graffiti expert. After reviewing the information, I determined that the photos were taken by the same individual and provided him with a report detailing the facts for prosecution to be used for an arrest warrant against the vandal. 

The information was handed over to the Police Department, where it sat for years. The same problem occurs today - no one to enforce the graffiti laws unless some patrol officer just happens by a crime in progress. I head a group of hundreds of people involved in the graffiti fight, and it is a known fact that the tactics that Rockford is taking are ineffective and doomed to failure. 

If Rockford wants to take on graffiti, there are people out there that are willing to help, but if they want to take the same old inaction toward graffiti, Rockford citizens will continue to suffer. 

Here is a detained list to eliminate the graffiti problem.

• An 800 number for citizens to call in to report graffiti 

• A Database to record the calls/locations 

• Digital photos of each location prior to being cleaned.

• Database to hold these pictures as well as victim information, cost, suspect info. 
• Graffiti must be removed within 24 hours with attention to removal within the first few hours around schools and high traffic areas. 
• Enlist the public in the fight/help. Make the City the Victim. Get signed permission slips from all property/business owners that allow the city to remove the graffiti. (This helps with not having trouble with multiple victims having to show up in court) It also helps with aggregating all the damage caused by taggers into a single felony case vs. multiple misdemeanor cases) 
• You need a strong message from the City council and Mayor to the Police Chief that graffiti will be a priority call and investigation. This is normally an area where graffiti programs are doomed to fail. 
• The police need to allocate one full- time officer that is interested in stopping Graffiti.

• This Officer needs to be stationary and not moving from position to position. They need to have an interest and work it full time. (We have more on this if you need) 
• Public service messages advertising the graffiti hotline and requesting public support

• Free paint and roller/brushes to groups who want to do clean up and/or paint outs in their community. 
• You need to have a water blaster setup in addition to paint out crews. 

OK, so there is the information, will the current administration in Rockford use it? Or toss it aside as is the usual practice?

Randy Campbell

President and Executive Director

The Nograf Network Inc.

A Non Profit 501 (C3) Corporation

Http://www.Nograffiti.com