By Bret Nolan Collazzi
by Bret Nolan Collazzi
Three new city laws that toughen penalties for graffiti vandalism and set standards for graffiti removal will better arm the neighborhood to fight vandals, according to local police and elected officials.
The regulations, signed into law by Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday, December 29, increase the maximum penalty for graffiti vandalism from $500 to $1,000 and from three months to a year in jail, while setting a penalty of $500 and three months in jail for possessing spray paint, etching acid and certain markers in a public place.
The laws also raise the age at which youths can possess graffiti-making tools without a work-related purpose from 18 to 21, and encourage judges who force convicted vandals to do community service to specify that they spend their time removing graffiti.
Yet the regulation local officials called most relevant to the east Bronx
