Occurred 1/26/2012  10:33 PM   Possession of Graffiti Implements   Horne and Kostoryz     1201270002

Officer J. Rhodes was patrolling this area, which has been hard hit recently by graffiti vandals, when he spotted a teenage male walking through the parking lot of a closed business.  Another officer had earlier seen the man loitering in the area, apparently “admiring” previous acts of graffiti vandalism.  When Officer Rhodes stopped to investigate, he discovered the 17-year-old was carrying a black magic marker in his pants pocket.  Further inspection of the teen’s cell phone uncovered photographs of graffiti vandalism, which is a common tactic among graffiti vandals of memorializing their destructive acts.  Rhodes arrested the teen for Possession of Graffiti Implements, a city ordinance violation, and transported him to the City Detention Center.  Further charges are possible.   The Corpus Christi Police Department is committed to zero tolerance for graffiti vandals, especially in this neighborhood.

The CCPD is hosting a Neighborhood Meeting February 1st, 6:00 PM at the South Park Middle School Cafeteria, 3001 McArdle Road.  The meeting is intended to engage residents of the 78415 zip code with the Police Department and other City and State partners to eradicate graffiti in their neighborhood.

The meeting will include information on the reporting of graffiti, the filing of police vandalism reports via our Telephone Reporting Unit or Online Reporting,  and how to remain anonymous when calling tips on suspects committing crime.