Littleton Report Cover Stories
June 2007 Issue

Special Enforcement Team attacking graffiti

Graffiti damage at the World War II Memorial at Ketring Park, September 14, 2006.

Many Littleton residents are noticing, and reporting, a lot of graffiti throughout the community. While graffiti is a significant problem in nearly every industrialized country, in the metro Denver area it has become even more problematic as “tagging crews” travel throughout the area leaving their distinctive tags. Graffiti impacts citizens in two ways, financially and aesthetically, because they are forced to both pay for the clean up and to look at the unwanted defacement of public and private property. Private property owners are victimized twice, as they are commonly required to pay for the clean up or be fined for non-compliance.

Creation of SET Team
In February of this year, the Littleton City Council approved creation of the Special Enforcement Team (SET) to focus more police resources on ongoing criminal problems. The influx of graffiti is a good example of how a team of officers are now able to target specific criminal activity and quality of life problems that require a visible, tangible, and sustainable law enforcement approach. This focused community policing effort is very effective due to the long-term nature of these problems that defy solution by a typical patrol team. The SET was created by modifying the tasks and objectives of the Community Resource Officer Program.

Graffiti Enforcement Success
Early this year, the Littleton Police Department (LPD) began a targeted operation toward graffiti offenders. Since the beginning of the year, the SET has identified 19 graffiti suspects ranging in age from 13 to 23 years of age. Ten individuals have been criminally charged with either misdemeanors (damage under $500) or felonies.

Some people consider graffiti to be a “rite of passage,” an urban art form, something that is eventually outgrown, or represents a phase of individual development. The SET is finding that many “taggers” are adults, some in their early 20’s. For these individuals, the act of tagging appears to fulfill some psychological deficit that compels them to commit malicious and vindictive acts beyond a “rite of passage.”

There is also a strong relationship between tagging and other crimes such as gang violence, drug usage and theft.

The SET is working with the Public Services Department, South Suburban Parks and Recreation, and code enforcement officers to quickly identify, document, and clean up graffiti on private and public property.

Cost to Community
There are two primary costs to the community from graffiti. The first is the quantifiable cost associated with cleanup and repainting. Last year, the City of Littleton spent approximately $30,000 to clean up graffiti on public property. This includes $10,000 spent to clean up the World War II memorial. Nearly 200 private property victims spent an additional $38,000 to clean up their damaged properties in 2006. The private property costs do not include the labor to repaint or clean off the graffiti.

The second cost of graffiti is readily apparent to anyone traveling along the light rail corridor, using the greenbelt paths, or driving down the roadway. This cost, nearly impossible to quantify, is that of urban blight. No one likes to see their neighborhood and their city defaced by graffiti vandals.

Overview of Taggers
One adult “tagger” was recently caught by Denver Police. Because officers from metro agencies regularly share information about “taggers” they apprehend, the information from Denver Police led to a search warrant for his parents Littleton residence. The warrant executed by LPD, led to the recovery of numerous tagging items and the filing of felony charges for a major graffiti spree throughout Littleton.

There are two primary types of tagging. The first is that of gang-related graffiti, the second is that of tagging crews or individuals. In general, gang-related tagging is a means of communication between rival gangs, and is a mechanism used by gang members to delineate turf boundaries. Gang graffiti tends to occur on buildings, walls and other areas on the periphery of gang-defined areas. It is common for this graffiti to be rapidly replaced once cleaned up because of its importance as a turf marker.

Tagging crews generally commit their crimes for notoriety and defiance of authority. They tend to tag areas where clean up is difficult or the greatest number of people will see their work. More recently, the boundary between the groups has become blurred with increasing violence between tagging crews.
A recent Denver Post story summarized the trends in graffiti and violence. In Denver, the rivalries between tagging crews has led to murders, knife fights and drive-by shootings. This is behavior more commonly associated with criminal street gangs.

The intensity and proximity of this violence to Littleton underscores the importance of taking a serious stand against the influx of graffiti and criminal gangs into the city.

Future
Graffiti is here to stay. Police activities may deter and shift graffiti to other jurisdictions, reducing the costs to the city, businesses, and residents forced to clean it up. Fortunately, the City of Littleton, through the cooperative efforts between the SET, public works, code enforcement and South Suburban, has developed a strategy to maximize the apprehension of criminals while minimizing the costs of their destructive behavior.
To report graffiti call 303-794-1551, or call 911 if you see a graffiti incident in progress.

Littleton Report Cover Stories
June 2007 Issue

Dietz sculputre to be dedicated July 4

Workers pour concrete at the Berry Park extension on May 21. The orange cone represents the approximate location where the sculpture of Danny Dietz will be placed.

The Danny Dietz Memorial Sculpture will be dedicated at a formal ceremony July 4, 2007 at 11 a.m. at the Berry Park extension, 5507 South King Street. The public is welcome.

The ceremony will feature speeches by Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter; the Admiral in charge of Naval Special Warfare; United States Congressman Tom Tancredo; Medal of Honor recipient Mike Thornton; and Tiffany Bitz, Danny Dietz’s sister. Littleton Mayor Jim Taylor will emcee.

The Littleton Community Band will perform the Star Spangled Banner and Navy Hymn. An honor guard from the Denver Navy Operational Support Center will present the colors and F-16s will fly overhead to start the ceremony. The benediction will be delivered by Pastor Larry Herrera. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the sculpture will be unveiled.

Parking will be available at Centennial Elementary, Goddard Middle School, Bowles Grove Park and the Arapahoe County warehouse at 5251 S. Federal Boulevard.

Dietz was killed in Afghanistan June 28, 2005. Dietz is the only Littleton resident known to have died in action in current Middle East conflicts. In September, 2006, the Dietz family accepted the Navy Cross on Danny’s behalf.

Dietz was raised in Littleton and attended Centennial Elementary, Goddard Middle School, and graduated from Heritage High School. His parents, Dan and Cindy, still live in the neighborhood.

The fundraising goal for the Danny Dietz Memorial was achieved thanks to the generous support of local businesses, restaurants and citizens. Following the successful December 8, 2006 reception at the Littleton Historical Museum, more than $42,000 was raised to pay for the sculpture, flagpole, lighting and engraving.

On December 20, 2006, the Dietz family selected Canon City Artist Robert Henderson to design a bronze sculpture of Dietz. The sculpture is based on a photograph of Dietz taken in Afghanistan shortly before he died.

The city budgeted funds in 2007 to develop the vacant lot in the neighborhood where Dietz grew up. It is an extension of Berry Park and will feature landscaping, a walking path and the sculpture of Dietz.