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Crime & Safety

The Picture of a Problem? Graffiti Increasing in Columbia

The Dobbin Road corridor in particular has been hard hit over the past few years, according to the Howard County Police Department, but no one appears to be panicking about graffiti just yet.

The amount of graffiti in Columbia has increased in the last decade—but authorities here are hesitant to characterize it as a serious problem.

Since 2000, there has been a 25 percent increase in graffiti in Columbia, according to Daniel D’Amore, director for open space management for Columbia Association. 

"It is seasonal, with more activity noted in the summer," D'Amore said. "But it also tends to be area- or neighborhood-specific for a while, and then things quiet down as the kid or kids responsible for it grow out of it or move on." 

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In 2010, 133 police reports were generated in Howard County for graffiti, 17 of which police determined to be gang-related, according to Lt. Michael Price, commander of the Operational Preparedness Division of the Howard County Police Department.

Although law enforcement officials classify all graffiti as malicious destruction of property—a misdemeanor punishable in Maryland by up to three years in jail and a $2,500 fine— they view the work of misguided artists who work alone or in small groups, which they refer to as "taggers," as less serious than gang-related graffiti that may indicate the presence of organized criminals.

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In the eyes of community members, however, any graffiti is principally viewed as a quality-of-life issue, especially if it appears to be gang-related.

“When we talk with the police at our community meetings, we learn that signs throughout Harper's Choice are being marked by gang symbols that then have to be cleaned up," said Mary Ellen Walsh, a resident of Harper's Choice.  "I don't know how extensive a problem it is, but it is unsettling."

Price, with the police department, said gang graffiti tells a story.

"They can be marking their territory or [showing] a sign of disrespect for rival gangs," he said. "A lot of times we get reports [of] gang graffiti, but the majority end up being taggers.”

Some property owners said they worry about the effect nearby graffiti might have on home values.

“When people see graffiti, they equate it with crime, which can have a direct negative impact on an area," said Steven James, a broker with James Real Estate Group in Columbia. "Therefore, it’s really important to clean it up as quickly as possible."

The problem is not more prevalent in one area or neighborhood, according to D’Amore. However, he said, “It is amenity-specific, especially underpasses where our bike paths go under roads. You have a 100-foot-long tunnel with white walls, bright lights; it’s dry and hidden. And we have 200-some wooden bridges that get hit hard from time to time.”

Columbia Association spends an average of 550 staff hours and $15,000, including labor and supplies, cleaning graffiti each year, according to D’Amore.

"When we suspect gang-related graffiti, we take photos and send them to the police for their information," D’Amore said. "Sometimes they want to come out and take a look before we clean it."

Courts can order convicted perpetrators to pay restitution in addition to any fines levied at sentencing, but this rarely happens, according to D’Amore.

The Howard County Department of Public Works' Bureau of Highways—which handles any graffiti found on county signs and roads—spent an estimated $5,500 in fiscal year 2010 in sign replacement and painting over graffiti, according to Kevin J. Enright, spokesman for the county government.

In addition, the Department of Recreation & Parks reported that damage from graffiti incidents averaged about $4,000 each year in 2009 and 2010, according to Enright.

“Obviously graffiti is really a waste of money-the cleanup costs are minimal, but it’s money that’s almost literally washed away. Cleaning up graffiti is both a fiscal and quality-of-life issue, and we take it seriously in Howard County,” said Enright.

In spite of these costs, officials are not overly alarmed by graffiti here.

Said Price: “We have a minimal problem. We do have issues with tagging, especially in densely populated areas of Columbia and Ellicott City, [but] we don’t have turf wars like they do in [Baltimore].” 

“One reason we don’t have a bigger problem with this is our good partnerships with the county and other agencies,” D’Amore said.

An informal survey of the Columbia area during the winter months revealed evidence of graffiti in a few spots in Owen Brown and on a sound barrier wall along Route 29 just north of Route 175 (see photos). Parked trucks and trailers appeared to be frequent targets of vandalism.

“The Dobbin Road [corridor] has been hard hit with the tagger type graffiti in the last few years,” said Price.

The police apprehended a notorious graffitist a few years ago and graffiti dropped off for a while afterward, recalled D’Amore.

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