Vandals Mar the Numbers in Gang-Related Crime Study

Reports of vandalism and graffiti are rising in Orange County at the same time as gang-related crime is falling, a new UC Irvine report released Wednesday found.

There were nearly 1,200 gang-related tagging and other vandalism incidents last year, compared with about 800 in 1994, the study found.

Some experts believe the increases underscore how gangs are moving out of their traditional boundaries and into areas previously untouched by gang activity, most notably South County. In these areas, where vandalism is less common, officials said graffiti, smashed mailboxes and broken car windows are much more likely to be reported.

“Gangs have moved out to different parts of the county, to the perimeter, to South County,” said Mike Clesceri, a prosecutor who handles gang cases. “And vandalism is a warning sign that there could be a problem brewing in a specific area.”

For now, however, gang-related crime continues to fall.

The county recorded 17 gang-related homicides in 1999, down from 67 in 1994 and 20 in 1998. Robberies and burglaries saw similar declines, with an overall 15% reduction in violent crime since 1994, according to the study.

Officials attribute the crime drop to aggressive policing tactics in gang territories that have placed many leaders behind bars. Other experts believe the strong economy is helping gang members get jobs and stay off the streets.

James Meeker, the UCI professor who compiled the data on gang-related incidents in conjunction with local police departments, said it is hard to know whether the rise in vandalism is a precursor to an uptick in more serious gang crimes.

“What some chiefs have argued [is] when the less serious crime starts increasing, more serious crime will follow,” Meeker said. “Is this a predictor of [worse] things to come? . . . I think that eventually we’re going to hit bottom, and [crime] is going to go up.”

Investigators said communities should not take seemingly harmless spray painting--known as “tagging”--lightly.

“Tagging crews, who started out as vandals, who would just spray paint their moniker on anything and everything . . . turned into gangbangers,” Clesceri said. “You dress the part, you look the part, you spray paint--it’s one step away.”

The report, published by UCI and the Orange County Chiefs’ and Sheriff’s Assn., does not break down tagging incidents by cities. But officials said they believe many of the reports are from newer South County communities that have seen little gang vandalism.

The study is part of a joint project by UC Irvine researchers and police to monitor and study gang incidents on a countywide basis.

“It gives us a handle on how well our gang prevention programs are working . . . and puts us in a better strategic position to continue to address the gang violence,” said Westminster Police Chief James Cook, one of the founders of the Gang Incident Tracking System.

Cook said he was encouraged with the figures and said departments will use the data to craft new crime-prevention programs.

“These statistics also provide a base-line for us. . . . to plan strategies for how we will deal with the coming wave of people age 14 to 24 who, historically, are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime, especially violent crime,” he said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Violent Gang Crime Down

Gang-related crimes continue to fall across Orange County, according to a new UCI study. But incidents of vandalism and graffiti are up from 1996.

Violent Crime

1999: 1,380

Property Crime

1999: 153

Vandalism/graffiti

1999: 1,192

NOTE: Violent crimes include assault on a police officer, assault, homicide, kidnapping, robbery, terrorism, etc. Property crimes include arson, auto theft, burglary.

Source: UCI