Officials in the greater San Diego area recently unveiled a unique new approach at targeting graffiti that will rely on GPS tracking devices throughout the San Diego metropolitan area.
All cities throughout San Diego County will work in conjunction with the Metropolitan Transit System, the North County Transit District and the San Diego Unified Port District to begin testing a GPS-based tracking system to cut down on the vandalism in the region.
Known as “Graffiti Tracker,” the system will analyze symbols and names left behind on vandalized areas in order to link multiple crimes and reduce future occurrences.
County Supervisor Greg Cox said the pilot program, which began in the final week in January, will run for 18 months as a trial to test what they believe will greatly reduce city officials’ time and taxpayers money. Officials throughout the regional area are in full support of the system, believing that it will yield only positive results and that they don’t anticipate any setbacks.
Total cost for the program will be $361,000, although authorities believe the system will pay for itself in a short period of time based on restitution payments once they crack down on the current problem.
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders explained that in the fiscal year ending in June, the city spent more than $2 million trying to locate and prosecute vandals responsible for more than 15,000 incidents of graffiti on residential and commercial buildings throughout the area.
Article Written by Greg Minton
