Graffiti vandals make big strike in Vista

Early Monday morning, June 3, calls were made to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department to report graffiti painted on many vehicles and the sidewalk on the 400 block of Poinsettia Avenue in Vista.

Most of the tagging was done on the sides of large vehicles, such as vans, trucks, trailers, and campers. Complaints came from residents of the surrounding apartment complexes, who use Poinsettia Avenue (which runs along the west side of Highway 78) as overflow parking.

The sheriff’s department's graffiti detail and the Vista Public Works graffiti-removal crew were soon on the scene to assess the damage.

According to Tom Dubose from the city, slowly, more high-profile taggers are being arrested as a result of investigative practices. He said before they start to paint over or remove graffiti, sheriff’s deputies take photographs; the info is then put into a graffiti tracking and documentation system that identifies patterns of certain monikers.