GLENDALE : Police Ride Buses to Apprehend Taggers
Glendale police have been riding Metropolitan Transit Authority buses as part of an undercover operation to catch suspected graffiti vandals, officials said Tuesday.
“We have an ongoing undercover operation in dealing with graffiti taggers, from staking out (places) where graffiti is likely to be to operations like this,” Sgt. Lief Nicolaisen said. “We’ve done some rather creative things.”
Police acted after receiving complaints about vandals who are believed to mark up not only the buses, but also bus stops. On Thursday and Friday, two undercover officers boarded MTA buses in Glendale, Nicolaisen said.
On one route, officers caught a 16-year-old North Hollywood girl etching words into a seat, police said. The words represented names the girl is believed to have been known by to her “tagging crew”--a group of teen-agers known to spray-paint or mark property with gang monikers.
A 17-year-old boy was also caught after he removed a pen from an undercover officer’s pocket and used it to vandalize a bus, police said.
Damages in both cases totaled $1,000. Both youths were cited and released.
Complaints about graffiti in Glendale should be made through the Police Department’s hot line: (800) 445-3632.
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