I confess that I am amazed at the range of locations vandals find to wreak havoc on our neighborhoods. Nothing is safe--from the doors of our local recreation centers to bus benches to clothing collection boxes. These criminals believe nothing is off limits to them.

DPAG cites that over 43,000 reports of graffiti vandalism were made in the first 10 months of 2008 in Denver. I know that budgets are tight, but I confess I am at a loss to understand why there is only one graffiti inspector for the whole city. That's a lot to expect of one individual.

I confess I spend about five hours a month noting, detailing, and reporting vandalism per month. It is time I would much rather spend otherwise.

I confess I don't know if there are others like me, who make it a habit of noting and reporting graffiti or routinely abating public property such as stop signs, light and traffic poles, and dumpsters themselves. You too can join our ranks. Council District offices and neighborhood Cop Shops can provide abatement supplies free of charge. Even if you only report the graffiti in your block or abate only one sign or adopt only one dumpster to clean, you are making a difference.

I confess that I am astonished that 90 properties account for 42% of those 865 reports I made this last year. Some of these properties are abated on a weekly basis. 361 properties were generally able to abate the graffiti vandalism and not have a reoccurrence. Those who are vandalized repeatedly are generally on well-traveled thoroughfares such as Sheridan and Federal Boulevards. Most of them are businesses, which are supposed to have the graffiti vandalism removed within 48 hours.

I confess that I am amazed how many people, particularly those business owners, who choose not to care for their own property. Instead these people wait for someone else to report the problem and then wait for the Denver Partners Against Graffiti to come and abate the vandalism. That waiting leaves the graffiti in place too long. That is exactly what the vandals want. I am grateful for those who clean up their fences or walls (where most of the vandalism is done) promptly. According the Denver Metro Graffiti Task Force quick abatement is one of the best preventive measures one can take to keep our city free of this vandalism. And I am grateful for Denver Public Works and the DPAG crews that respond daily to graffiti reports throughout the city. Theirs is a thankless job. I hope they know that there are many of us who are GRATEFUL!

I confess I don't know if the Council Districts and properties hardest hit by graffiti desire to find other solutions other than power washing and painting over the graffiti time and time again. There are fences along the South Sheridan corridor that have so many coats of paints on them; the paint is probably holding the fence together and upright. Surely there are methods to prevent the spray paint and marking pen from adhering to the surface in the first place.

I confess I would like to know if residents would be willing to have vines planted along their fence line or wall to obscure the visible surface and thus prevent vandalism. Surely this is cheaper than repeatedly abating the same properties over and over and over again ad nauseam. There must be other solutions. Examples presented on the Denver Metro Graffiti Task Force webpage including limiting access, planting shrubs, moving dumpsters away from the building to limit roof access, using textured paint, and others. When abatement authorization forms are signed, do those presenting the forms suggest these alternatives? Has anyone suggested getting local nurseries involved by donating shrubs or vines?

I confess that I am angry that our court system doesn't treat repeat graffiti vandals as the criminals they are. I've heard from police officials and neighborhood activists that the courts are lax in applying the law or meeting out punishments or deterrents. It is my opinion that once someone learns there are no consequences for an act, such as vandalism, it becomes easier and easier to commit that crime and not even be aware or care that it is criminal and affects others. Additionally, some become inured to the point of committing other crimes. The cost to our society is great!

I confess that I don't care for the term "taggers" or "street artists." "Tagging" is just a euphemism for vandalism, and real "street artists" are those who artistically decorate walls and other surfaces with the owner's permission. Vandalizing rail cars and vacant buildings without permission is criminal, not art! Pasting stickers all over a city, as the recently convicted Shepard Fairey, creator of the famous Obama poster, has done, is not "art". It is vandalism as the Boston courts that convicted him pointed out. Never mind that he thinks those of us who decry graffiti vandalism are "... culturally clueless Puritans."

I confess that I am optimistic about winning the war on graffiti vandalism. From my lips to God's ear!