Street Bombing

As if they didn’t have it all covered by now here in Cali…

Graffiti vandals beware — there’s a new sheriff in town, and you won’t ever see him.

Broadband Discovery Systems, a two-year-old company based in Scotts Valley, has developed a series of devices finely tuned to detect the sound of an aerosol spray can from as far as 35 feet away.

“I despise graffiti,” said president and chief executive Cory Stephanson, who worked with a team of engineers to build the device aimed to stymie graffiti vandals.

Stephanson and vice president Michael Neely discovered that $22 billion is spent every year in the United States dealing with graffiti, and they think their latest innovation will help.

The device, nicknamed “Project Merlin” after Stephanson’s son, has intricate sound recognition features that are tuned to detect only the specific sounds an aerosol can makes. When the sensor detects the sound of a can dispensing, it uses cell-phone-like technology to send out an alert.

Read More: Graffiti detectors in the making

The Montclair City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to toughen the fight against illegal graffiti vandalism throughout the city of Montclair. It seems this type of news is becoming more and more frequent around Southern California.

Council members Monday night unanimously approved an ordinance to toughen the fight against graffiti.

Under the new ordinance, property owners would be required to pay for removal after a certain number of graffiti occurrences, and face possible land-use conditions, said city Administrative Services Director Edward Starr.

Councilman Bill Ruh, who approved the ordinance, expressed his reservations over the ordinance because he did not believe property owners should have to pay a removal fee after already being victimized.

The city now sends graffiti abatement workers to remove graffiti. With approval of the ordinance, the city would provide up to three free removal services at vandalized properties. After the third removal, additional graffiti would prompt the city to issue a notice for the property owner to remove the graffiti themselves or pay the city for removal. Property owners would have four days to remove the graffiti or face consequences. The removal fee has yet to be determined.

The ordinance would also make parents of graffiti vandals liable for civil damages of up to $25,000 for each offense.

Read More: Montclair City Council approves graffiti ordinance