Graffiti Busters Facing Undeterred Taggers

Taggers are on the run according to officers in the newly-formed Vandals Squad, which replaced the police departments Anti-Graffiti Unit in September. Citywide, the taskforce has made 31 graffiti-related arrests over the past month, six of them in Queens.
"Weve been doing unbelievably well," said Lt. Jeff Snyder, special operations officer for the Vandals Squad. "Just as good as we thought."
But not everyone thought they would do so well. When Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly dissolved the NYPDs Anti-Graffiti Unit, moving its officers to the Transit Bureaus Vandals Squad, some members of City Council and anti-graffiti activists had doubts about the squads broader focus on all types of vandalism. The 80 Vandals Squad officers are responsible for fighting vandalism both in the subway and streets and for other transit-related crime, while the Anti-Graffiti Unit was responsible only for above-ground graffiti.
Councilmembers Peter Vallone Jr. was one of the mergers biggest critics. "We had concerns about whether it was going to be an improvement," he said. Vallone held a hearing in September where Vandals Squad representatives testified. "They told us there would not be any depletion of the officers who were part of [graffiti enforcement]."
There hasnt been enough time to make a judgment about the squads performance, said Vallone, but "Im going to be monitoring it."
Those responsible for the graffiti say they have felt a stronger police presence lately, however.
"There are more patrols in the streets," said one young graffitist whose tag name is Sorf. He is undeterred, however.
For Sorf, a Mexican immigrant and member of a graffiti group known as DF Crew that has exhibited their work in the Museo Del Barrio, the draw of illegal tagging will never diminish.
sarah@queenscourier.com