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Sunday, September 2, 2007

Taggers Need Consequences

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    EDITORIAL: Residents of one southwest Santa Fe neighborhood woke up one morning last week to find graffiti from one end of their street to the other But the real trouble was that last week's tagging outbreak wasn't the only such in that area, or even in the city. Graffiti is everywhere— like an especially bad rash.
    What to do about it? Santa Fe police say they can't do much— even if they catch taggers in the act, a rare enough occurrence, they end up releasing those younger than 18. For the moment, at least, "there's no consequences," as deputy chief Benjie Montaño puts it, for vandalizing other people's property.
    Contrast that with the situation in Albuquerque, where in recent years all reported graffiti has been cleaned up within 48 hours. (The city maintains an easy-to-remember three-digit telephone hot line for citizens to report tagging.) Moreover, there can be serious consequences for taggers who are identified— as many are by their signature "handles." The city has collected tens of thousands of dollars in restitution fees, all applied to the $1 million spent annually on graffiti clean-up.
    Prompt removal of graffiti— and taking taggers and their parents to court over the sprayed-on vandalism— seem to have been effective tools in the fight against this urban plague. Albuquerque's program has won recognition from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
    Why Santa Fe hasn't taken a similar approach remains a mystery. In response to citizen outcry over last week's outbreak, one city councilor proposed creating a task force to study the graffiti problem and identify "innovative" solutions. Seems like that's already been taken care of, in Albuquerque and in countless other cities where prompt eradication and serious penalties have drastically lessened the problem.
    We've got an anti-graffiti department in city government now. Let's beef up the staff and get serious about removing tags— anywhere— promptly. If the city responds promptly, citizens will be encouraged to report tagging promptly, too. If we need changes in the law to taking taggers and their families to court in pursuit of fines, as they do in Albuquerque, then let's make those changes.
    Santa Fe County officials seem to have the right attitude on this one: They're cracking down. Convicted taggers will be sentenced to cleaning up graffiti, victimized county residents will get free paint to cover up the vandalism and surveillance cameras have been set up in some continually troubled areas.
    "Maintaining the aesthetic radiance of Santa Fe is a top priority for us," the county manager said of the graffiti problem last week.
    City officials should take note.