PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Almost a decade ago, the Portland Police Bureau had a Graffiti Task Force, but it was disbanded in 2015 due to a shrinking number of officers. Since then, Portland has become a top spot for what Officer Nathan Kirby-Glatkowski calls “tagger tourism”—people traveling from other areas to spray paint illegally.
Since the pandemic, “there’s just a proliferation of graffiti everywhere,” Glatkowski said. “This is not a victimless crime. If you’re out here damaging our communities night after night after night in these big impactful ways, we’re coming after you and we’ll get you.”
Now, authorities aim to bring the graffiti vandals to justice like never before, and Multnomah County prosecutors put Portland’s most prolific tagger behind bars.
“This is a pretty hefty prison sentence for a property crime,” Deputy District Attorney Keegan Matosich said.
‘You’re under arrest’
On the day KOIN 6 News rode along with police chasing taggers, Glatkowski’s shift got off to a fast start after a crime tip there was a tagger on SE Hawthorne.