Las Vegas fighting graffiti with surveillance
Updated: Jan 26, 2009 01:56 PM PST

It's a problem that cost the city of Las Vegas more than $440,000 last year.  Now they're fighting back against graffiti taggers with surveillance cameras.

According to the city's neighborhood response manager, the cameras are already working to cut down on graffiti crimes.  So far, they've got 16 solar-charged cameras in rotation.

"We've seen a huge reduction in the high incident areas.  Anywhere that we have a camera, we have almost zero percent repeats on those areas," said Devon Smith, with the city of Las Vegas.

Using a motion censor, the cameras give off an audio warning to anyone who comes within a certain radius.  Without any more notice, the camera snaps a clear digital photo that can be viewed right off the Internet.

"What we've actually been able to do, is catch somebody on a different area that they're doing graffiti.  When they tie that graffiti to current pictures that we have, they're able to prosecute on all the instances that we have documentation," added Smith.

Smith says, both Mayor Goodman and the council are proactive about this system.  He's hoping the city is eventually able to expand.

Unfortunately, the recent cutbacks to the city are a roadblock in purchasing more surveillance cameras, which cost about $5,000 a piece.

At the same time, the city is confident that these cameras will save taxpayers money in the long run.

Keep it tuned to Channel 13.

http://www.ktnv.com/global/story.asp?s=9730621

www.news8austin.com

Updated: 2/11/2008 7:41:50 PM
By: Chelsea Hover

 The City of Killeen has seven digital cameras keeping a look out in their areas of high crime.

They're primarily targeting graffiti artists and illegal dumpers.

Last September, the city council agreed to dedicate $87,000 to clean up the city's graffiti problem. About $47,000 of that went to purchase the cameras.

They operate on motion detectors, snapping a series of photographs that can then be downloaded to a laptop.

Code enforcement officers sift through the pictures looking for code violators. They can zoom in and pick up a license plate number and cite the person.

Before the cameras, it was the property owner's responsibility to clean the graffiti or mess near their dumpster.

Since October, code enforcement officers said they've seen a drastic decrease in both crimes.

In the past five months, they've successfully prosecuted more than 100 cases in Municipal court.

The Killeen Police Department said they've launched a few criminal investigations based on the cameras pictures.

The fine for violating one of these city codes can range from $500-$2,000.

Posted: Jan 28, 2008 05:07 PM PST

South Sioux City police are using digital cameras to crack down on graffiti.

The technology catches vandals in the act and provides concrete evidence to prove they're guilty.

City council is planning to spend $24,000 to buy more cameras because of the program's success. South Sioux City currently has six graffiti cameras and they are moved around the city periodically to target different tagging hot spots.

The technology has helped police catch and convict several vandals over the past four years. So now the city wants to add four more cameras to the rotation.

This camera springs to life when it detects motion. It's designed to catch taggers in the act.

"It's just a handful of people that do graffiti within the South Sioux City and the whole Siouxland area, and it's our desire obviously to curb that as much as possible," says Lance Hedquist, a South Sioux City administrator.

While police actively patrol the city, tagging takes only a matter of seconds, making it extremely difficult to catch.

South Sioux City leaders want to put four more cameras on the streets. Each one runs about $6,000.

"What we want to do is expand that program, cover more areas. Some of the cameras will be visible so you can actually see them out in the public. Others will be invisible and disguised if you will," says Hedquist.

The technology is equipped with solar panels to power the cameras and some have an alarm to catch vandals by surprise.

"What happens is the person instinctively looks directly into the camera to see where the voice is coming from, that's when it takes a second picture. So you get a direct, head-on shot of the individual that's involved," Hedquist says.

Making it much easier to not only catch, but convict criminals.

City leaders say this technology is very effective, especially to identify the person who does the crime. The very first time the cameras caught someone, the tagger said he didn't do it. Then police officers used their in-car computers to capture pictures from the graffiti camera. The guy took one look at the picture and admitted he did it.

BAKERSFIELD - Law enforcement in Kern County has turned high-tech in its fight against graffiti.

With a click of a camera, law enforcement will now be able to catch taggers, at least on tape.

The Kern County General Services Department and Sheriff's Department hope a talking surveillance camera will deter taggers. It says, "Stop. Your picture has been taken. It is illegal to spray graffiti or dump trash in this area. Leave the area now."

The camera first warns verbally, then flashes a picture when someone walks by.

For every camera site, the county said they have seen a 95 percent drop in graffiti.

"We've had some real interesting pictures that we've shot over already that we wish we could have shown you tonight, but we have some really good shots, and they're doing a really good job," said Richard Johnson from the Graffiti-Off program.

The county installed a camera on the side of Bill Geddes' liquor store on Alta Vista Drive. He said he has noticed big changes.

"The taggers realize that. They get in trouble for tagging now," said Geddes.

John Basham from Basham Funeral Care said he has had similar results.

"We used to get tagged probably once every couple of weeks, and now we haven't been tagged in months," Basham said.

Seventeen cameras have been placed around graffiti-ridden areas, including fake cameras. There's not much of a difference visually in the dummy and real cameras. In fact, many are placed around town.

"We do it so that we can give other businesses a chance that are getting hit a lot," said Johnson. "They want a part of the action, too, because graffiti out there is big business. It's out there all the time."

Each camera costs about $5,000.

From the Los Angeles Times

Getting ready to shutterbug taggers, vandals

Upgraded cameras are being installed that can photograph a license plate 100 feet away in total darkness.

By Francisco Vara-Orta
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

September 20, 2007

LAPD Senior Lead Officer Gabriel Ahedo believes that the city's installation of lunch-box-sized security cameras over the last six years has discouraged graffiti and illegal dumping.

One location, Cohasset Street and Radford Avenue in North Hollywood, saw a sharp decrease in graffiti thanks to the camera, which plays a recorded warning -- "Stop! It is illegal to vandalize this area. . . . Leave now" -- in addition to taking photographs triggered by a motion detector, Ahedo said.

"It's made the area a lot safer and seems to deter taggers," he said.

City officials eager to show their support for the cameras and the ongoing need to find ways to fight graffiti gathered in North Hollywood on Wednesday to mark the installation of upgraded cameras and to promote the use of newer, more sophisticated cameras able to capture a quality picture of a license plate from 100 feet away in complete darkness.

Officials said the cameras may help avoid sometimes dangerous confrontations related to graffiti. Last month, two women, one in Pico Rivera and another in Hesperia, were shot to death when they confronted alleged taggers in unrelated cases.

In Los Angeles, cleanup crews removed 27 million square feet of graffiti in 2006, up from 21 million square feet in 2004, according to the most recent data from the Los Angeles Police Department. Police contend that a rise in graffiti correlates with a rise in gang-related crime, which police said has risen 15% this year in the San Fernando Valley compared with the same time period in 2006.

Although police decide where to place the cameras, the Department of Public Works' Office of Community Beautification is in charge of maintaining the devices, said Paul Racs, director of the city's beautification office. City crews are expected to gradually reinstall all 65 cameras the city owns by late December after the devices are converted from batteries to solar power.

The camera, called the Flashcam-530, is made by Q-Star Technologies of Chatsworth and features a modified 35-millimeter camera triggered by a motion detector. When activated, the unit takes photographs that are forwarded by public works to police, and play a recorded announcement.

The complete warning, in a clear, male voice, goes as follows: "Stop! It is illegal to vandalize this area. Your photo has just been taken and we will use this photograph to prosecute you. Leave now!"

Housed in a steel case, the cameras are designed to withstand attack as their lenses and flash units are protected by bullet-resistant covers. The cameras are usually installed 25 to 30 feet high on telephone poles.

"They've got shot at a few times, but none have been broken yet," Racs said.

In the past, city officials including representatives of the city attorney's office and Councilwoman Janice Hahn's office bought a handful of the cameras, which cost $2,500 to $3,500 each, depending on when they were purchased.

On Wednesday, Los Angeles Councilwoman Wendy Greuel pledged $35,000 toward a $45,000 goal to buy and install at least 10 new devices for her district.

"These cameras are dependable, safe tools in the war on graffiti and crime throughout the region," Greuel said.

The new cameras that Greuel wants are digital, taking 6-megapixel photographs, Q-Star President Steve Hillsman said. Officers can also download photographs through a wireless connection.

Greuel invited Luis and Miriam Ovies, who have lived in the 12200 block of Hartland Street for 40 years, to the event Wednesday, where officials unveiled a camera installed to monitor the alley behind their house. The couple, celebrating their 46th anniversary Wednesday, said they had spent the last two years frequently calling city offices to report tagging on their backyard wall.

"It's the best anniversary gift we could have gotten," Miriam Ovies said. "We just want to feel safe again at our home."

Councilwoman Wendy Greuel gets help climbing into a lift for installation of one of the cameras in her North Hollywood district. She has pledged money toward buying 10 more sophisticated devices that take digital pictures.
(Brian VanderBrug / LAT)

Published July 4, 2007

By TODD ERZEN
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

An east-side civic group is looking to ratchet up its war on graffiti by helping to obtain additional motion sensitive cameras for the Des Moines Police Department.

Two such cameras now rotate among various Des Moines hot spots to help deter what often are gang-related acts of vandalism.

Greater East Side Development, an organization formed to encourage economic development in the area through community enhancement and resident cooperation, will purchase a third camera at a cost of $5,000 for its side of town. The group also is working to obtain a fourth camera through a federal grant process.

The FlashCAM-770 cameras are solar-charged and tamper-proof and employ an automated voice to let lawbreakers know they have been caught. In the past year, a camera has been used by Des Moines police at 15 different east-side graffiti-prone locations. The power of the cameras to deter criminal activity has been evident in that not one instance of graffiti has been recorded at those sites when the camera has been present.

Incidents of graffiti has sometimes returned once a camera is removed, however.

"They move the cameras quite regularly," said Des Moines Police Sgt. Vince Valdez. "If they are activated, somebody is going to know the cameras are there. The word is going to spread that they can't be in that area."

Overall, the number of graffiti incidents appears to be increasing in Des Moines, said Greater East Side Development board member and Fairground Neighborhood Association President Dawn Jorgensen. But she said the police aren't sure if that is because the process for reporting it has become easier and more people have become aware of how to report.

In the past two years, Greater East Side Development helped establish and promote a gang and graffiti hot line. Group members have passed out 10,000 business cards, printed in English and Spanish, with the hot line number, a graffiti removal number and the numbers of east-side neighborhood resource police officers.

The hotline has averaged about 100 calls per month and has helped police make numerous arrests. The city's goal is to have all graffiti removed within 48 hours of it being reported.

Lingering graffiti not only promotes additional graffiti because it is a form of gang communication, Jorgensen said, but it also discourages new development or residential transplants to the area by creating a poor first impression.

"It just looks crappy," Jorgensen said.

Reporter Todd Erzen can be reached at (515) 284-8527 or terzen@dmreg.com