Occurred on 5/2/12, 10:35 pm   Graffiti   1400 Acapulco     1205020160 

Officer B. Gaines observed several youths gathered at the 1400 block of Acapulco, three of which he dealt on drug and graffiti related offenses.  The Officer contacted a 13-year-old who he’d issued a curfew citation to the night before and took him home. 

The mother asked for the Officer’s assistance with the teenager as he was sneaking out and vandalizing their home with graffiti.  While the Officer was talking to the mother, the 13-year-old ran out of the home and jumped onto the roof of the garage in attempt to hide from the Officer. 

The teen’s father found him and he was taken into custody.  Further investigation revealed, the juvenile had not only tagged his parent’s home, but several stop signs, no parking signs, an electrical box and outlet belonging to the City of Corpus Christi along with two signs belonging to Champion Hyundai.  The juvenile also tagged several fences belonging to elderly residents living in the Sacky area. 

The  juvenile was booked at the Nueces County Juvenile Justice Center and charged with two counts of Graffiti. The total estimated vandalism was valued at $1,700.

Is your child a tagger?  The following are indicators your child is tagging, for further information or assistance, please contact Detective Steve Smith with the Corpus Christi Graffiti Task Force at 361-886-2942. 

Profile of a Tagger
Is your Child’s Name All Over Town?
Some indications that your child may be a tagger are:
Your child stays out until early morning or all night
Your child frequently wears a large backpack or baggy pants.
Clothing my be paint-stained.
Packs and loose clothing can be used to hold paint cans or carry graffiti tools
Your child carries tools used for etching glass
Your child has taken up the hobby of ink marking.
Your child has large quantities of magic markers, shoe polish containers, or other devices used for drawing.
Your child sleeps during the day and is active outdoors at night.
Your child paint on the tips of his/her fingers.
Your child frequently has permanent marker stains on his/her hands.
Your child has graffiti magazines, flyers, a “piece” book, or portfolio of tags.
Your child possesses large quantities of “my name is” stickers or other large stickers used for “sticker tagging.”
Your child is in possession of graffiti paraphernalia, such as markers, etching tools, spray pain, bug spray, and starch cans.  The bug spray cans are used to make tags that will only show up in the rain.
Your child is in the age group statistically associated with tagging: ages 12 to 18.
Your child has graffiti displays or tags on clothing, binders, backpack, and the underside of the bill of their hat.  Tags you see on the walls of your neighborhood are seen on your child’s walls, books, and clothing.
Your hild is frequently deceitful about his/her activities.
Your child has quantities of paint in cans, but does not have the income to afford it.
Your child associates with other children with the same traits.
Your child’s Internet web browser has bookmarks to graffiti advocate websites.
Your child has photographs of graffiti and tags on walls that loo familiar to you.
Your child actively reads the alternate graffiti news group website.

Please remember, that taggers come from every race, religion, social groups, as well as from every socioeconomic status.