Graffiti artists in Oxford will no longer be able to get away with their dirty deeds so easily.
A new tool donated to the Oxford Police Department (OPD) will monitor local alleyways to crack down on graffiti.
Roger Millar, director of the Oxford Community Foundation, donated a graffiti sensor that will alert officers if it senses the use of an aerosol can.
According to Sgt. Jim Squance, the state-of-the-art aerosol detection system employs military-developed technology and a communication system of phone lines that connect to the Dispatch Communication Center.
"The graffiti sensor is a communication system developed to allow immediate notification of an aerosol emission," Squance said. "It's an acoustical system that can listen and fingerprint sound from an aerosol event."
Millar said that OPD made him aware of the technology and he was very interested because of his Los Angeles roots as well as his knowledge of expenses involved in graffiti removal.
"Coming from Los Angeles, I am an expert on how ugly a city can become with graffiti," Millar said. "Graffiti has a way of growing and it just becomes almost impossible to stop."
Squance agreed that graffiti causes a number of issues.
"Graffiti is a nuisance crime that can be very offensive, costs thousands of dollars to remove and can give a city an appearance of disarray," Squance said.
Millar said that he and OPD hope to verify the usefulness of the device before considering more widespread usage with more sensors.
Not all people in Oxford see graffiti as a problem, including some Miami University students.
Miami junior Nicole Bennett feels that there are bigger problems that should be addressed.
"I don't think graffiti is a problem in Oxford," Bennett said. "I can't even think of anywhere in this town that I've seen graffiti.
Bennett said that she would prefer resources and donations be used to address what she considers more serious problems.
"We need to be focusing more on burglaries," Bennett said. "Graffiti is not a problem, people breaking into houses and stealing electronics is a huge problem and that's where resources should go."
According to Squance, while graffiti may not be a widespread problem in Oxford, it does occur.
"We have a number of locations here in Oxford that are continually used to display one's graffiti work," Squance said.
Squance said that the aerosol detection system could also be useful in the prevention of huffing, as the system would detect any type of aerosol dispenser.
