TUSTIN : Man Helps Police Tag Two Taggers

After eight years as a maintenance worker for the Tustin Unified School District, Richard Dean says graffiti no longer shocks him. It has become as commonplace as the broken windows and damaged desks he fixes.

But recently, when he saw two boys spray-paint a street sign and scrawl their initials on a wall in front of the Healthcare Medical Center of Tustin on Newport Avenue, he said he was so outraged he called police.

“They walked away laughing like they were proud of themselves,” Dean said. “I was so irritated. They had no concept at all of the damage they had caused.”

With Dean’s help, Tustin police later arrested the two taggers. For that, the City Council last week awarded Dean $250 under a city ordinance that provides cash rewards to residents who provide information leading to the arrest of graffiti vandals.

Dana Ogden of the community development department said Dean is the first to receive an award under the ordinance passed in February. Another person, a Tustin resident, has also helped the police and may become the second to win the reward, he said. That case is still being investigated, Ogden said.

Dean, 41, of Laguna Hills, a former Marine, said he didn’t know about the ordinance.

“I’m not a bounty hunter,” he said. “But I can use the money.”

Dean said people “should not be scared” of taggers. “I did not wrestle them down. All I did was alert the police, and they made the arrest.”

It was the second time that Dean has helped police arrest somebody. Last year, he led police to two people who were trying to steal a bicycle at Jeane Thorman Elementary School.

“If people just stand by and let graffiti spread, it will spread,” Dean said. “It’s gratifying to know that at least two taggers will think twice before they do it again.”