New tools aim to paint 'taggers' into a jail cell.

Byline: TRICIA SCHWENNESEN The Register-Guard

A new hot line, the promise of a reward and stiffer sentences are the city's latest tools to combat a crime that has plagued Eugene for more than a decade - graffiti.

Vandals commit more than 600 criminal acts of graffiti or "tagging" each month that cost public and private businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, police Lt. Ron Roberts said at a news conference Friday.

Public works employees devote 40 hours a week to the cleanup and repair of buildings that have been tagged with spray-painted logos, pictures and signatures, as well as window etchings, the newest form of graffiti that uses an acidlike solution to scar glass.

Since mid-October, 12 people - seven adults and five juveniles - have been arrested for graffiti-related violations, racking up 16 felony charges and 25 misdemeanors.

But for all the cleanup efforts and arrests, the problem persists, Roberts said.

So, in September, police teamed up with business and property owners, public works officials and the district attorney's office to form a graffiti task force to find solutions, Roberts said.

The group met monthly to discuss ways to reduce graffiti - recognizing that it's impossible to eliminate - and decided to offer money for information about graffiti taggers.

The minimum reward will be $50 and a maximum hasn't yet been established, he said. The money was donated by businesses and Downtown Eugene Inc., a downtown business association.

Mayor Jim Torrey said graffiti, although often found downtown, is a problem throughout the community and will take a community effort to fix.

"When you see it in your neighborhood, it's a big deal," he said. "Well, the rest of the community needs to wake up and realize it's a big deal for everyone. This is not a problem that simply painting over it will solve."

John Brown, an appraiser with an office downtown and chairman of the Police Commission, said graffiti is another form of stealing from property owners who must pay to cover the cost of replacing etched windows or painting over graffiti.

"We can't eradicate the problem, but we certainly won't let it take over the community," he said.

The task force has made a number of suggestions to both police and businesses to help them tackle the problem, officer Randy Smith said. For example, officers will use a new form to better track when and where graffiti occurs, and some businesses have volunteered to keep spray paint, markers and glass etching solution behind counters to prevent vandals from shoplifting the items and using them for graffiti, Smith said.

Prosecutors also are seeking harsher penalties from judges for graffiti, including jail time and mandatory restitution, Assistant District Attorney Susan Triem said. Graffiti isn't a harmless prank, it's a serious crime, she said.

"If you are caught, when you are caught - and we believe you will be caught - with some of the new efforts you will not get a slap on the wrist," she said. "We do think jail time is appropriate."

Steve Cole agreed. As the retail manager of Forrest Paint Co. in Eugene, Cole and his company supply free gray paint to the city to cover graffiti. The company also will give a free gallon of gray or color-matched paint to anyone to cover graffiti, he said.

"It's vandalism to me," Cole said. "It's not artsy, it's just vandalism. When they say jail or community service or to pay restitution, it's a good thing."

TO REPORT

Tip line: To report a "tagger" or graffiti, call 682-8848.

Cleanup help: Call Eugene Public Works at 682-5262 or Forrest Paint Co. at 342-1821.

CAPTION(S):

THOMAS BOYD / The Register-Guard Paul Kosciolek of Eugene Public Works uses a steam pressure washer Friday afternoon to blast off graffiti from a fence at 27th Avenue and Garfield Street.