[Update] Graffiti Keeps Police, Removal Crews Busy

Glendora Police have had their hands full over the past two weeks responding to reports of graffiti on fences, walls and signs painted by local as well as visiting, taggers.

On Monday evening police responded to graffiti on freeway onramp signs at the Auto Center Drive onramp to the 57 freeway.

“We didn’t recognize the graffiti as being local,” said police Lt. Brian Summers.

Police were called at 8:56 p.m. to the location.

Then at 10:09 a.m. Tuesday, the police received a call reporting graffiti sprayed on a large city water tank in the 1200 block of E. Saga St., Glendora.

Summers said that graffiti is nothing new in Glendora and the recent jump in activity is not unusual. But spraying graffiti on the water tank was a first, he said.

On Feb. 28, Glendora Police responded to graffiti in the 1300 block of S. Briargate Lane and in the 800 block of W. Carroll Ave., which are only about a mile apart. The graffiti in those two incidents is thought to be by the same person or persons living in the local area.

On Wednesday at 12:03 a.m. police responded to the 800 and 500 blocks of E. Arrow Highway, where graffiti was reported on three business fronts: Extra Space Storage, 825 E. Arrow Highway, Oriental Express Fast Food, 815 E. Arrow Highway and B & M Tackle, 533 E. Arrow Highway.

Summers said graffiti is most common on signs, fences and walls, but it is sometimes applied to the front of businesses, which creates blight and a headache for the business owner.

To combat graffiti, the City of Glendora uses in-house volunteer workers to perform graffiti removal seven days a week. Generally the city responds to requests for graffiti removal within 24 hours.

Although the city has received a fair amount of graffiti the past two weeks, the creations don’t stay up long, said police.