FARGO – They’re supposed to sniff out spray paint so Fargo police can
snuff out crime. But, so far, graffiti sensors installed two years ago
have yet to yield any arrests.
Lt. Joel Vettel said he hopes that
will soon change, because the manufacturer of the fume-detecting sensor
is sending replacements with updated software just in time for prime
graffiti season.
“It’s something we’re trying to tweak and modify,” he said.
The
department paid $800 apiece for two sensors that were installed in
summer 2010 in areas known to be frequent graffiti targets, Vettel said.
When the sensor detects paint fumes, it sends a message to officers’ cellphones and to dispatchers.
Vettel
said that while the sensors haven’t worked as reliably as hoped, they
have led to some close calls in which police missed the vandals by mere
moments.
“Oftentimes, they can get out of there as quickly as we can get there,” he said. “It is challenging.”
The
replacement sensors contain updated software that should improve their
durability under Fargo’s extreme environmental conditions, Vettel said,
adding the vendor, GraffitiTech Inc., has been “great to work with.”
Graffiti
incidents tend to escalate in the warmer summer months. Artists and
taggers often target areas that are lightly traveled or out of sight,
such as walkways under bridges, pedestrian tunnels and alleyways, Vettel
said.
“We certainly have pockets of areas that are more exposed to it, but it certainly is something we see citywide,” he said.
The
department has an officer who monitors tags for possible gang
connections, and he’s confident the vast majority of graffiti seen in
Fargo isn’t gang-related, Vettel said.
Moorhead police don’t
possess graffiti sensors, but like Fargo police they have found that
removing graffiti as quickly as possible is the best response to reduce
tagging, Lt. Tory Jacobson said.
“If you allow tagging to start, that’s when other people get the idea, and they tag over,” he said.
Juvenile offenders sentenced to community service are used as graffiti cleanup crews, he said.
Vettel
said most graffiti arrests result from tips from the public. But with
the new sensors, police are optimistic the technology will start paying
off, he said.
Taken from: InForum
Comments