KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) -
It's a problem you can see in almost any community, but Kansas City, KS, is paying a high price for graffiti.
The city spent more than $68,000 during the first half of the year to clean up graffiti. Officials have taken more than 650 complaints of graffiti on homes, businesses and city property.
Police are now taking extra steps to try and stop graffiti before it happens. They and city leaders are tired of gang graffiti across their city, so Wednesday officers began asking businesses to help them black out the problem by not selling the paint to minors.
"My concern with this house is we keep boarding it up and keep painting it and they come back again. Obviously you can see all the damage here," Officer Paula Vallejo said.
Vallejo and Sgt. Darryl Moore showed KCTV5's Sandra Olivas just one spot in KCK that's become a regular target for gangs. But the problem is so prevalent across the city, Wednesday they began working on a new way to tackle the serious crime.
"Today the police department is going around each business and passing out flyers. On the flyer it states what the issue is, what the current law is, what the current fine is," Moore said.
The law said businesses have to place signs near the spray-paint products, warning customers that graffiti is a crime and those caught doing it face up to one year in jail and/or a fine of $1,000.
At Strassers Hardware, besides the correct signs, the cashiers know they can't sell spray paint to a minor or the store could be fined $100. But Commissioner Angela Markley wants to increase the fine to $250 for the first offense and $500 for the second.
"We're going to ask stores to put spray paint either where it's immediately visible from the front counter area, so it's in their line of sight, or in some sort of locked cage by the cashier and the cashier has to unlock it. That way young people can't steal it and stores don't have to worry about the theft issue. It's a win-win for the store and us," Markley said.
For now, Moore said Wednesday's visit to the stores is a courtesy, but soon those stores will be put to the test.
"After this phase is over we are going to come back in one to two weeks to each business and check to make sure that they are in compliance. If we find that any of the stores are not in compliance, then we're going to issue citations," Moore said.
The battle against graffiti continues in KCK.
Markley hopes that before the end of the year, the full board of commissioners will get a chance to vote on the new ordinance.
Copyright 2012 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.
