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Law That Holds Taggers Liable Gets Final Approval

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Aug 19, 2008 1:56 pm US/Pacific

Law That Holds Taggers Liable Gets Final Approval

LOS ANGELES (CBS) ― An ordinance holding taggers and their guardians liable for civil damages received final approval Tuesday from the county Board of Supervisors.

The ordinance, which will take effect in 30 days, will enable the county
to sue taggers and their parents or guardians to recover graffiti-related
costs.

Supervisor Gloria Molina led the effort to change the law in response to
Maria Hicks, 58, being fatally shot Aug. 10, 2007, in Pico Rivera when she tried to stop a vandal from defacing a wall near her home.

In response to the Hicks killing, the county created a six-month pilot
program, known as the Vandalism Enforcement Team, which targeted taggers in Pico Rivera and the unincorporated area near Whittier.

Between Jan. 6 and June 30, the anti-graffiti team arrested 168 taggers
who caused an estimated $345,000 in damage, according to sheriff's Capt. Michael Rothans.

The average cost of removing or painting over graffiti is $522 per incident, according to county Chief Executive Officer William Fujioka.

The effort to nab taggers has cost taxpayers about $665 per offender.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.