[FairHamilton]

Taggers nabbed painting CHCH

October 31, 2008
John Burman
Two graffiti taggers have been busted after starring in their own little TV show at CHCH building on Jackson Street last night.
A security guard watching outdoor camera monitors at the station caught the duo spraying a wall and zoomed in to see what they were up to and called police
Police said the pair painted the words ‘Devil’s Night’ and then ran away.
They were nabbed by an officer who happened to be a couple of blocks away when the call came in.
Two Hamilton men, 18 and 19, have been arrested for mischief under $5,000 and are scheduled to appear in court today.
Since Aug. 1, police have arrested 29 people for mischief and charged 25 of them.
Police say the crackdown on graffiti and string of arrests and charges has struck a nerve in the painter community with some taggers venting their anger on walls around town.
In fact, police arrested a spray-painter at home Wednesday night after a witness identified him as the one painting the acronym FTP -- generally taken for a slur toward the police -- on a wall at Catharine Street South and Young Street earlier in the day. This is the third example of anti-police graffiti police have seen since beginning a crackdown in August.
A 17-year-old Hamilton youth was charged with mischief under $5,000 and two counts of breach of probation.
Sergeant Terri-Lynn Collings said it appears some painters are upset. That, she says, is too bad. Spray painters may think the community appreciates their work, but most of the arrests have followed residents calling police to complain and help identify suspects.