Officials work to keep taggers from making their mark

As you may have noticed, there has been an increase in graffiti vandalism in many areas of Ventura County, including Camarillo.

To help combat this multimillion dollar problem, officials in Camarillo and other cities from throughout the county met last week to discuss the rising costs associated with graffiti and the increase in violence among tagging crews.

The cities are working hard to help eliminate urban blight, but police alone cannot stop the spread of graffiti. They need the public's help.

Graffiti vandalism usually takes only seconds to commit and can be a difficult crime to solve due to the late hours that taggers are active and the frequent lack of eyewitnesses.

Suspicious activity should be reported to the police immediately. Residents should also report any graffiti as soon as possible.

Recent studies have shown that one of the most effective methods of preventing graffiti is to remove the marks as soon as possible.

Graffiti vandalism is a constant nuisance to a community and affects property values, but with a proactive city and police force, along with a vigilant public, taggers will find it much more difficult to leave their mark on Camarillo.

Anyone with information about a known or suspected tagger may call the Camarillo Police Department at (805) 383-4800.