Date: Monday, November 17, 2008
Type of Crime: Graffiti
Is your child aware that the police are cracking down on graffiti and offering up to $500 rewards for the arrest and conviction of anyone who commits graffiti vandalism?
School staff and parents may wish to circulate the Graffiti brochure from the NYPD, containing a condensed version of the information below provided by School Safety Sergeant Vo of the 24th Precinct, Sergeant Shimshi of the 20th Precinct, and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. For a brochure, click mailto:info@SUNnyc.org?subject=Graffiti Brochure-NYPD
Did you know that according to police, graffiti vandals include ordinarily well-behaved straight A students who are athletes and musicians as young as 10 years old who attend both public and private schools?
Some youths, naïve to the graffiti subculture, write over existing tags which could hold consequences unforeseeable to them. Since a vandal seeks notoriety by prominently and repeatedly displaying his tag, (containing initials, a nickname or favorite word), writing over a tag is considered a sign of disrespect and could result in retaliation against a child who may be totally unaware of the workings of the graffiti subculture.
Signs that your child may be involved in graffiti:
1. Friends call him/her by an unusual nickname.
2. Tags on your child’s outer garments, such as hooded sweatshirts, coats, and caps.
3. Tags on knapsacks school bags, and notebooks.
4. Drops or overspray of paint on clothing, hands stained by paints or marker ink.
5. Graffiti paraphernalia in your child’s room-tags on walls, doors. Many graffiti artists memorialize their work on video or take pictures of friends and their tags on cell phones.
What can happen if your child is caught making graffiti?
1. A child tagging property is subject to arrest and can be charged with:
Making graffiti;
Possession of graffiti instruments; and
Criminal mischief.
2. If a minor is convicted of graffiti, a judge can fine the minor’s parents to pay restitution to the owner of the vandalized building.
3. In a majority of cases, penalties imposed by judges for children making graffiti are fines and community service, where a child is often required to perform graffiti removal for a specified period of time. Penalties for graffiti may also include prison time.
Some types of graffiti:
1. Acid Etch: Liquid shoe polish or liquid Bingo markers are mixed with acid etching cream to permanently mark glass and windows of stores and subway cars. Once the window is tagged the acid melts into the glass and the tag is permanent.
2. Scratchiti: rocks, stones, sandpaper and other abrasive substances are used to scratch tags into windows or other hard surfaces.
3. Regular graffiti: drawing or spraying public or private property with paint, markers, etc.
BE A PART OF THE SUN SOLUTION:
- Report incidents and suspicious activity call 911 immediately and submit a report to SUN at www.SUNnyc.org by clicking “Report an Incident” at the top of the page. Reporting Graffiti - call 311, 911 for a crime in progress.
Information can also be submitted to SUN anonymously, by omitting the personal details requested in the report.
SUN, focused on youth, is an effective extension of NYC’s safety campaign:
“If you see Something, say Something”.
- Additional Safety Information: For locations of Safe Corridors, Crossing Guards & Parent Patrols on the Upper East and West Sides, Morningside Heights, from West 110th-130th Street and parts of East Harlem see SUN’s Safety Patrol Maps at www.SUNnyc.org
SUN provides a positive and cooperative approach in addressing the safety of our kids; and seeks the best resources to steer “at risk youths” in an effort to prevent delinquency.
The more parents and school staff members who join, the safer our children will be.
To arrange for a presentation of the Schools Unite Network "SUN" for parents and school administrators, contact us at info@SUNnyc.org
To register for SUN Alerts : log onto www.SUNnyc.org and click : “Receive E-Mail Alerts” at the top of the page.
SUN is a program of the Police Liaison Group, Inc., a 501 (c )(3) nonprofit organization established in 1993 to improve the quality of life and safety of New York City by working with schools, communities, businesses, the NYPD and any other necessary governmental and nongovernmental agencies.
The Police Liaison Group will not be held liable for any disparities or inaccuracies in the above information. Although information is provided and verified by the NYPD before transmission, omissions or mistakes may occur.
