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Tuesday, 30 September 2008 |
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By Daniel Iverson BLACKFOOT – Local police and business owners gathered at the Bingham County Courthouse on Monday to deliver a message of no tolerance for graffiti, which officials say has skyrocketed within 6–9 months.
 Morning News - Daniel Iverson
Bingham County Sheriff Dave Johnson and Blackfoot Police Chief Dave Moore speak at a press conference Monday about a recent surge of graffiti around the county. Johnson and Moore invited local business owners, pictured behind, to describe the damage their establishments are sustaining.
The Sheriff’s Office and the Blackfoot Police Department scheduled a press conference after 18-year-old Adan Adolfo Arroyo was arrested Wednesday night after spray painting the Kentucky Fried Chicken building.
One county and one city officer patrolling Parkway Drive discovered Arroyo and a juvenile walking along the street with a can of spray paint.
Police had a misdemeanor warrant for Arroyo, who was charged with felony malicious injury to property. He represents the White Fence and CNS (Can Not Stop) gangs, which police say are big around southeast Idaho.
Through interviews, police discovered KFC was only one of several targets the duo planned to hit Wednesday.
Arroyo is in custody with a $10,000 bond.
Johnson said police cannot afford the time, money or manpower to remove graffiti as often as it is appearing lately.
Graffiti removal is funded by the police budget, said Blackfoot Police Chief David Moore — which comes from taxpayers’ wallets — and by the business owners victimized.
Moore cited one incident from June in which BPD had swept across Blackfoot to remove graffiti before Pride Days, but the night before events started, 13 businesses got tagged again.
Police caught the subjects involved, and Moore said the courts assured him the subjects would be held to the highest standard and charged with felonies.
But Moore said the restitution paperwork he received from the courts was “minimal” compared to the actual costs of cleaning up the graffiti.
Johnson said police are responsible for catching graffiti artists, but after the cases reach the courts, the prosecutors decide how to proceed.
Moore wants to see the courts requiring those found guilty to contribute to cleaning up subsequent instances of graffiti.
Reducing felony charges to curfew violations compromises police efforts to deliver a warning to graffiti artists, said Johnson. “They just get a slap on their hands, and they’re back on the street,” he said.
According to Johnson, graffiti is linked to gangs. Individuals reportedly are coming to Bingham County from urban locations to train gangs.
Moore said gangs from Blackfoot and Fort Hall are competing through vandalism, which can be traced because whenever one group’s graffiti is removed, their rivals replace it with their own.
Johnson said graffiti artists are proud of their work, which is why initials and names are left behind. “You can trace it right back to who’s doing it,” he said.
Graffiti carries enhanced penalties in Idaho if police can prove it is connected to gangs. BPD has identified 13–15 distinct gangs for its database.
According to Moore, gang activity increased 8–9 years ago but dropped again for 4–5 years, during which BPD removed minimal graffiti.
Police are responding by hiring a new officer dedicated to gangs. The officer’s salary is to be covered for three years by a grant from the Department of Justice. BPD is interviewing candidates and hopes to bring the officer aboard by Nov. 1.
Johnson encourages residents to contribute too by reporting any suspicious activity.
Among the local businesses tagged recently is Downtown Bread Company, which owner Kaylynn Gorder said has sustained about $1,000 worth of damage. Other business owners reported up to $5,000 of damage.
According to Moore, BPD spent $20,000 during 2007 to remove graffiti. But the price of removing graffiti isn’t limited to money, he said, because it pulls officers away from other important needs.
“There are a lot of things we should be doing to help out the community, and it’s not cleaning buildings,” said Moore. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 01 October 2008 )
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