[KONQ RADIO]

Notice the second part of the headline:

Vandals 'tag' police dept. with graffiti

Chief says graffiti was gang-related; city officials cracking down on the problem.

By Jon Ruhlen - The Hutchinson News - jruhlen@hutchnews.com

DODGE CITY - City officials here have been scratching their heads over how to deal with the graffiti problem.

And then this weekend, vandals launched the ultimate insult when they spray painted the side of the Dodge City Police Department.

"We got tagged," Police Chief John Ball said. "We're going to get it taken care of, like we suggest everybody does. That's my only comment on the situation."

The vandalism seemed to send a message, albeit a grossly misspelled one: "It's are (sic) way."

Ball said the graffiti was gang-related.

The graffiti was painted on the east side of the police department, along an alley between the building and a bank. There are no surveillance cameras in the alley.

Police have made no arrests in connection with the vandalism, Ball said.

Dodge City Commissioners have been tackling the graffiti issue during recent commission meetings, City Clerk Nannette Pogue said. The city is in the preliminary stages of appointing a task force to deal with the problem.

Traditionally, the city's recycling and public works department has taken on the task of painting over the graffiti. Pogue said the problem has increased drastically in recent months, stretching the department to its limits.

The problem is not unique to Dodge City. City officials in Liberal have recently enacted a combination of stiffer penalties, assistance to property owners for graffiti removal and rewards for tips leading to arrests in the wake of a brazen graffiti spree in that city's downtown.

Garden City officials also have instituted a graffiti task force aimed at curbing the rising tide of spray painted signs. Among other measures, city officials have banned retailers from selling spray paint to minors.

Pogue said the staffs of the three cities have been sharing information about the issue.

Most of the Dodge City Commissioners and the City Manager were out of town on Monday attending a League of Kansas Municipalities meeting and were unavailable for comment.

Why is it only important enough to 'crack down' after the cops are tagged?