SANDY — The "newspaper of the streets" is increasing in circulation.
Graffiti art and gang tagging is on the rise in Utah, and police say you will see more of it on walls, fences, trains and any other available surface in the coming months.
"Graffiti is something that's here to stay. It's not going away," said Murray police detective Rich Stone. "It's only going to get worse."
At the 16th Annual Utah Gang Conference in Sandy on Friday, detectives from the Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit briefed police officers statewide on the escalating problem of graffiti. Police can read gang tagging and graffiti art like a newspaper, Stone said. Looking at it "tells us about a particular situation that has started or is about to occur."
Gang detectives say there is a difference between graffiti art — with its ornate letters, bright colors and almost painter-like style — and tagging, which is a series of symbols and letters. Some graffiti art isn't even connected to gangs.
"Gang graffiti is more primitive," said South Jordan Police detective Jared Nichols.
Both constitute a crime that ranges from a class B misdemeanor to a second-degree felony, depending on the amount of damage.
Many graffiti artists are part of "crews" who go around and spray paint their names and their group's on walls and other surfaces. They refer to themselves as "writers," Nichols said. Some crews are into punk music, others are into hip-hop. Some crews are merging, others are recruiting new members heavily. They have their own conventions, just like the gang detectives do. Nichols said one crew even comprises returned LDS missionaries involved in the hip-hop scene.
Police say budding graffiti artists often begin leaving their marks on personal property.
"If you want to look for who's tagging up your school," Nichols said. "Go to your art classes, look at their notebooks, their CDs. Anyone can put their name down."
To combat graffiti, Stone said call the police to have it removed immediately.
"It's like a cancer," he said. "The second it goes up, get it off. If you don't, you're encouraging it."
In Tooele, taggings can be seen on walls and fences. Some gang members are so brazen as to tag the alley right behind the police station.
"It's a difficult crime to prevent," said Tooele Police Lt. Craig Wexels. "Anyone with a spray can and a dark night can spend 15 seconds and they're done and gone."
Wexels said Tooele has seen an increase in graffiti. He said about half of it is not even gang-related.
"Recently, we've even had political messages," he said. "Nothing mainstream party related. Young teenagers not liking teachers."
The Tooele City Council passed an ordinance last month that requires property owners to remove graffiti and taggings within 15 days of it appearing. Failure to do so could result in fines.
E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com