GPS Technology Helping to Fight the War Against Grafitti
25 Apr 2012GPS trackers have been used to catch car thiefs, track convicts, and monitor domestic abuse offenders, and now they’re being used to crack down on graffiti vandals in several California locations, including San Diego and Los Angeles.
From written words to elaborate and detailed wall paintings, graffiti is done illicitly on public and private domains. But by using a gps tracking-like program, law enforcement can map graffiti locations and “tag” them. Commonly, graffiti bandits don’t make their mark only once. Rather, they strike multiple times, using the same type of “artwork”.
As a result, police can analyze tagged data and predict where the perpetrator will go next — similar to methods use to track and predict actions of serial killers. Graffiti tracking can also help to increase the arrest of graffiti vandals. Prior to this, graffiti was painted over, leaving no evidence of the crime.
As one example, Carson, a city in Los Angeles, has seen a significant decline in the amount of graffiti plaguing their streets. “There were 17,000 incidents in 2009,” said Councilman Mike Gipson, “and that has been lowered to 14,400 in 2011, an 18 percent reduction in the volume of graffiti,” he said.
To reduce the amount of graffiti vandalism incidents, they are using a GPS digital camera to record where every vandalism act occurs. But by photographing the graffiti, they have a static photo and permanent record of the “art”, which later can be used to study and analyze the crime. Law enforcement investigators can then take the image, load it onto a tracking to analyze who’s doing the grafitti and how often.
Because of its association with gangs, graffiti, whether sprayed, scratched, or scribbled, “is a crime that gives insecurity to a neighborhood and brings property value down,” said Carson Sheriff’s Deputy William Farrell.
The city of Carson is saving over $500,000 in costs relating to catching and prosecuting graffiti vandals as a result of implementing GPS graffiti trackers, said Ray Cruz, Public Services General Manager.
In Los Angeles, annual graffiti cleanup costs are estimated to be over $140 million; in Germany, it’s over $700 million. It’s a worldwide problem, and companies and authorities have been taking steps against it, including applying anti-graffiti coatings that prevent vandals from defacing both private and public property. Now, with GPS tracking technology, they have another weapon to fight the war against graffiti.
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