Officials from three South Snohomish County cities agree that immediately painting over graffiti once it’s noticed is one surefire tactic to deter “taggers” from hitting the same area twice.
They also urge property owners who have been “tagged” to take pictures and notify police so the incident is on file as the law recognizes graffiti as malicious mischief and property damage.
While officials in Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds and Lynnwood say graffiti in their cities isn’t as common as it used to be, taggers continue to leave their mark.
In all three cities, the law requires property owners who have been vandalized to remove graffiti on their property within a specified amount of days after discovering it. Property owners face a penalty if they don’t comply.
Four primary factors that motivate taggers are fame, rebellion, self-expression and power, according to the Lynnwood Police Department.
Graffiti, in the form of spray paint, felt markers or etched into glass, give cities a negative image and cause people to feel unsafe or assume gangs run rampant in their hometown, officials say.
Mountlake Terrace city manager John Caulfield said a proactive and coordinated approach by police and city staffers has helped lower the incidence of graffiti in the city. It also helps that private property owners are quick to clean up graffiti to reduce the amount of attention taggers get for their vandalism.
That said, officials have noticed within the last two months that graffiti has increased on the east side of Mountlake Terrace, particularly along the Cedar Way corridor.
Mountlake Terrace Police Chief Greg Wilson said graffiti isn’t considered a problem because it only pops up occasionally. The majority of graffiti seen scrawled in Mountlake Terrace is someone wanting attention and their work recognized, Wilson said.
“The majority of the time it’s troubled youth looking for their identity,” he said.
In Lynnwood, the City Council recruited a task force to help prevent and educate the community about graffiti. The task force presented an updated graffiti ordinance for the council to consider.
Studies show that removal within 24 to 48 hours results in a nearly zero rate of reoccurrence, according to the Lynnwood Police Department.
Sgt. T.J. Brooks said there are four types of graffiti: tagging, hate, gang and generic (non-threatening messages like “Bobby loves Suzy”).
Lynnwood deals with mainly tagging, Brooks said. Tagging and gang graffiti differ as the former is more ornate while the latter uses symbols and sends a message to rivals, he said.
About 80 percent of graffiti is hip-hop or tagger graffiti, while another 5 percent are “pieces” — large, colorful, detailed drawings, according to resources compiled by Lynnwood police. Nationally, gang graffiti makes up about 10 percent. The remaining 5 percent is miscellaneous graffiti.
Edmonds Police Chief Al Compaan said in Edmonds, graffiti occurs in peaks and valleys.
“The key is rapid removal,” Compaan said.
About three years ago, the city hit a peak that prompted the council to pen a graffiti ordinance. The ordinance, approved in 2008, gave city officials procedures and guidelines to ensure graffiti was cleaned up immediately.
“It’s less of a problem today than it has been,” he said. “We’re past the peak and it’s not so prevalent.”
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