Public meeting planned to discuss graffiti in Brewster

Brewster city officials are planning a public meeting next month to talk about ways residents and business owners can address problems with graffiti; the graffiti problem comes and goes, and right now it's back.

Graffiti has been popping up "pretty much all over town" recently, said Brewster Police Chief Ron Oules. But even though graffiti comes and goes the solution is pretty much the same every time.

Oules said property owners should paint over or clean up the damage as soon as they find it and report it. The city does have an ordinance requiring property owners to clean it up, Oules said, but citing people is, as far as city officials are concerned, the last resort. Neighbors can ask landowners to clean up graffiti, Oules said - and in his opinion they should.

There are some ways to make property less attractive, Oules said, starting with "lighting. Some cameras." Both lights and cameras cost money. But, Oules said, adequate lighting or camera systems (or both) are available at affordable prices. If a landowner gets targeted repeatedly it may be less expensive to install cameras or lights, or both, than to keep painting over or scrubbing away the damage.

"I understand the frustration," Oules said; a property owner can spend a lot of money and a lot of time repairing damage. But the graffiti problem won't be solved unless there is public involvement; unless residents take more active steps to prevent graffiti "it probably is not going to be prevented," Oules said. "We (the police) are not the solution. The citizens are the solution."

People need to report suspicious circumstances while they're happening rather than waiting, Oules said, even if they're not sure what's going on. But sometimes it's hard to tell what suspicious circumstances look like when it comes to graffiti.

Graffiti is mainly done with spray paint, and every once in a while a graffiti vandal will get caught with a spray can in hand. It's more common for graffiti vandals to announce their presence with a lookout at the end of an alley and people congregating in a dark spot in the alley, or a car parked in a dark spot where it doesn't normally belong. Graffiti most often happens in the dark - a dark alley or a poorly lit side street, Oules said. Police officers can and will show landowners the most effective placement for cameras and lights; property owners who are interested can contact the Brewster Police Department.

Spray paint cans are another suspicious circumstance, especially when they're being packed around by young people. Junior high or high school students don't have many reasons to have spray paint, Oules said, unless they're working on a specific project, and parents should know the nature of the project.

People who get caught painting graffiti can be charged with a misdemeanor offense, Oules said; people who are convicted are subject to monetary penalties and fines. Oules said property owners should estimate a "true value" for their damages, accounting for their time as well as the cost of materials.