Because a witness called 911, Renton Police recently caught and arrested an adult and one teen tagging a light pole in Renton.
For that call, the witness is now eligible for a $300 reward from the City of Renton.
The witness called 911 while the graffiti vandalism was in progress; police officers arrived in time to catch the vandals in the act. The suspects were arrested; the witness identified them and provided a statement.
“I want to personally thank the witness for calling 9-1-1 and taking action to reduce graffiti in our city,” said Mayor Denis Law. “We cannot ignore the vandalism of our neighborhoods and if you’re caught vandalizing our neighborhoods with graffiti, you will be held accountable. However, we need the public’s help in reporting these offenders. If you see graffiti in action, please call 911 immediately so that our police officers can stop them in their tracks.”
In another recent case, two young men, including one from Walla Walla, were arrested for malicious mischief after Renton Police were alerted that someone was spray-painting graffiti under the Cedar River bridge in the 2500 block of the Maple Valley Highway.
An officer found a 23-year-old man from Walla Walla was wearing a respirator and spray-painting the side of the bridge, according to the police report. The other man, 19, also had a spray can in his hand.
The older man was arrested for investigation of unlawful application of graffiti. The younger man was arrested for unlawful possession of graffiti implements or paraphernalia. Both were booked into Renton City Jail.
On yet another occasion, Renton Police recently caught two young adults in connection with graffiti incidents near Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park. Following up on a report by the City of Renton Parks Division, Detective Christine Paget of the Renton Police Department traced and identified the offenders who had painted graffiti with black spray paint.
In order to avoid arrest and a criminal history, the family of the offenders took responsibility and agreed to pay for the cost of cleaning and removing the graffiti, according to the City of Renton.
Under the terms of the agreement, the offenders also admitted to committing the graffiti offenses, agreed to dedicate time for community service to the city, and also agreed to work at home to pay back the family for the amount paid to the city as penalty. The two told officials they had learned their lesson.
“With the city’s new ordinance and with our ongoing efforts to investigate instances of graffiti, our goal is to send a clear message to graffiti vandals that if they continue tagging, they will be caught,” said Renton Police Commander Chad Karlewicz.
In a city press release, the parent of the tagger said, “Our kids don’t realize that tagging and graffiti is not an art form that is acceptable in public spaces and on private property, and is indeed a crime that hurts the community and costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year. Kids and parents need to recognize that graffiti is being dealt with very seriously in our community, which can bring serious repercussions to offenders.”
The City of Renton recently launched an aggressive campaign against graffiti, including a new Graffiti Control Ordinance that went into effect in January. The ordinance helps prosecute graffiti offenders and reduce the damages inflicted on property owners.
It makes it illegal to possess graffiti paraphernalia; allows the court to order offenders to pay damages; allows public funds to be used for graffiti removal; allows the city to assign up to a $5,000 liability to the parent of a minor who commits graffiti vandalism; and authorizes the city to offer up to a $300 reward for information leading to the identification and apprehension of any person who commits graffiti vandalism.
The city has also hired a part-time graffiti abatement coordinator, has installed cameras in hot spots throughout the city to help identify and prosecute vandals and has partnered with local businesses and the community to launch a comprehensive education campaign.
Wipe Out Graffiti, the city’s campaign against graffiti, encourages people to report graffiti by calling the graffiti hotline, 425-430-7373, or 9-1-1 if they see “tagging” in progress.
“I applaud the family for taking responsibility for their actions, understanding the impacts of graffiti and making amends,” said Law. “I’m very pleased that the hard work of our police officers, staff, and the support of our community is starting to make a real difference.”
To volunteer or participate in the city’s program call 425-430-7362. For more information, visit the City of Renton Web site.
