Stopping gang crime by taking down taggers
PROSSER, Wash. -- If there's one down side to this mild weather, it's that taggers are still out in full force at a time when many graffiti cases normally go down. In Prosser, police say many cases are going unreported and it can ultimately lead to gang activity.
Olivia Peal looks at the graffiti down the street from her home in Prosser. She says, "People think it's ok to vandalize people's property that they work hard to maintain."
This is her son and nephew's bus stop. She worries about how this environment affects them.
"I wouldn't want them to think that's ok to do to other people's property."
But Olivia and any other neighbors I talked to called police to report this crime.
"Figure that the homeowner will take care of it or they just leave it alone because it's not where they can see it or on their property," she says.
Police say a lot of graffiti goes unreported because people don't realize that it could be a symptom of a much bigger problem.
Prosser's police Sgt. tells KEPR, "It's a sign of a problem and usually it's a gang problem."
Police do report graffiti themselves while on patrol and in fact, eight addresses were tagged up and reported by police just last weekend.
But with the help of citizens, police can remove *more graffiti and tackle to problem as a whole.
"Get rid of it as soon as possible because that will discourage further graffiti and gang activity," the Sgt. continues.
Getting to the root of the problem before it's too late.
There have no been any arrests for last weekend's spike in graffiti cases in Prosser. If you have any information call Prosser Police.
Olivia Peal looks at the graffiti down the street from her home in Prosser. She says, "People think it's ok to vandalize people's property that they work hard to maintain."
This is her son and nephew's bus stop. She worries about how this environment affects them.
"I wouldn't want them to think that's ok to do to other people's property."
But Olivia and any other neighbors I talked to called police to report this crime.
"Figure that the homeowner will take care of it or they just leave it alone because it's not where they can see it or on their property," she says.
Police say a lot of graffiti goes unreported because people don't realize that it could be a symptom of a much bigger problem.
Prosser's police Sgt. tells KEPR, "It's a sign of a problem and usually it's a gang problem."
Police do report graffiti themselves while on patrol and in fact, eight addresses were tagged up and reported by police just last weekend.
But with the help of citizens, police can remove *more graffiti and tackle to problem as a whole.
"Get rid of it as soon as possible because that will discourage further graffiti and gang activity," the Sgt. continues.
Getting to the root of the problem before it's too late.
There have no been any arrests for last weekend's spike in graffiti cases in Prosser. If you have any information call Prosser Police.
I would just like to say, That as being the person in this report, I feel that my comments were taken out of context. We did not know there was Grafitti in the alley way that was featured in the newscast. The Grafitti was in an Alley, that Me and My Children have never walked down. My Daughter mentioned there was an alley by her bus stop, but the alley is not where the actual bus stop is. We were asked to give our views on Grafitti and that is what we did. I under no means do not feel it would be ok to not report crimes that happen in Prosser. I was not aware of the Grafitti and was only made aware by the news reporter. I was asked if I had reported this particular Grafitti and I replied, No, Only because I had not know it existed prior to the interview. I was in complete shock when it was broadcasted that I did not report this crime. I was under no impression that this would be made to make a report of the lack of concern by myself and my neighbors. That is completely not the case. I feel that, it can have reprocussions, that vandals can now come to our area, because we won't report their crimes. I cannot say that is a correct statement, as we were all not aware of the grafitti in this alley.Second, The comment, that I made about, homeowner's should be responsible for the clean up of Grafitti, was in answer to the question, of why does grafitti go unreported. I stated most people think homeowner's are responsible for the clean up and others feel it is ok to leave it, or it is in an area that is not clearly visible so it goes unreported. My Son and My Nephew both gave views on how they feel Grafitti is negative and it was not shown in the news clip. I feel that Prosser Police Department does a wonderful job on keeping Prosser clean and make sure that crime level stays down. I see Police patrolling school areas before and after classes. They are great on making sure people are going the speed limit down Our busy street and keeping children safe. I did not know my comments were going to be edited in a way that would portray me and my neighbors as people who do not report crimes, and also make me sound arrogant, on saying that clean up of Grafitti is for Homeowner's. As a previous Americorps member, I have spent countless hours, volunteering to clean up communities, such as Mabton, Grandview and Sunnyside. Which included the clean-up of Stassen Park, and the repainting of The Teapot Dome in Zillah to restore the Historical Landmark. I believe I set great examples for My Children and Nephew and that would have been seen by all, had their interview been shown. I would love to help the Foundation, Randy speaks of and help with catching vandals, and help with clean up of these crimes. I hope that by reading this comment, the community knows, that I am committed to keeping Prosser safe, and my comments as they were portrayed were taken out of context and thank you for reading, and allowing me to give the whole interview.