CYPRESS : Council Gives Nod to Anti-Graffiti Law

The City Council this week tentatively approved an ordinance that prohibits minors from possessing spray paint, glass cutters and other items used to spread graffiti.

The ordinance “might encourage (vandals) to change professions, so to speak,” Mayor Gail H. Kerry said.

Under the new ordinance, stores that sell scribing devices, such as marking pens and spray paint, will be required to keep those items behind locked display cases. Sales of such items to minors will be prohibited. If graffiti vandals are caught scribbling with instruments bought or stolen from a Cypress store, the store owner could be held liable for the damages, city officials said.

In addition, developers constructing new buildings in the city will be required to use graffiti-resistant materials or use such plants as ivy to deter graffiti vandalism.

The new measure also holds parents of convicted vandals responsible for the cost of damages to public or private property. Offenders could be sentenced to jail community service and face fines of up to $1,000.

Also, a $500 reward will be offered to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of graffiti vandals. To report acts of vandalism, the city has established a hot line: 800-WE-ERASE.

“It’s quite comprehensive,” Police Chief Daryl Wicker said about the ordinance.

The council is expected to take final action on the ordinance at a meeting in September.

Wicker said residents are encouraged to call police before painting over graffiti so officers can take pictures of it and possibly track down culprits.