Police Armed With Paint Gun Take Aim at Gangs’ Messages

With a blast of black paint against a graffiti-covered wall, members of the Los Angeles Police Department unveiled their newest weapon in the war against gangs Friday morning: the mobile anti-graffiti unit, which is expected to begin operation on the Eastside this week.

The paint sprayer will be used in an effort to combat the violence that police believe can be perpetuated by graffiti.

Fights Linked to Graffiti

“We’ve had gang fights start as the result of something written by one group to another,” said Capt. Art Lopez of the Hollenbeck Division, which is coordinating the graffiti removal program. “We’re trying not only to restore the aesthetics but to also keep the violent messages from going back and forth.”

Lopez said the unit will respond to requests. He urged members of the community to notify police when they find graffiti on their property.

Councilman Richard Alatorre announced deployment of the mobile unit in an alley across from the Hollenbeck station that was vivid with gang symbols. Alatorre said the unit will initially be operated by area youth as part of the City Council’s Summer Youth Employment Program, which offers jobs to about 10,000 young people each year.

About 100 young people will work with the unit this summer. In the fall, the mobile unit will be operated by volunteer reserve police officers.

The equipment and paint--nearly 4,000 gallons so far, or enough to clean about 1,000 walls--were donated by area merchants. Lopez said the anti-graffiti unit will continue to operate as long as people supply paint.

Complaints Cited

Sgt. Jerry Burns, an aide to Lopez, said the mobile unit was acquired after residents complained that not enough was being done to combat graffiti.

“We didn’t use to do much about the (graffiti) problem,” Burns said. “We’d just make arrests, and the courts would tell people to clean it up. Sometimes we’d give them a bucket, but not much would really happen.”

A similar unit was acquired two months ago by the Rampart Division and has been in operation for about two weeks, according to Officer Mike Bostic.

The Rampart unit is staffed by people assigned by the courts to community service.

“In essence, we’re using the people that make the mess to help clean it up,” Bostic said.