http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/top ... 52278.html
STACEY MULICK; stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com

Published: May 5th, 2008 01:00 AM | Updated: May 5th, 2008 06:20 AM
A can of spray paint. A blank space. And 60 seconds, maybe less. That’s all it takes to add to Pierce County’s graffiti problem, vandalism that has cost the Tacoma School District alone $119,900 since the start of the 2005-06 school year.

It’s a problem that police, anti-crime activists, property owners and city officials say is escalating again.

Graffiti-related complaints to the city have jumped from 50 calls a year in 2006 to 300 last year.

Metro Parks facilities are hit once or twice a week. A Remann Hall-based program cleaned up nearly 2,100 sites last year.

Police say gang members are using spray paint and black Sharpies to mark street signs, buildings, utility boxes and garages – and practically any other hard surface – with their signatures and gang nicknames.

The graffiti is difficult to remove, often requiring sandblasting, special solutions or fresh coats of paint.

“One kid with a Sharpie and a half hour can cause thousands and thousands of dollars in damage,â€