Cash or X-Box: Garner Police Offer Either for Graffiti Crime Tips

Garner, N.C. — Garner police are offering a choice to anyone who can provide information that leads them to graffiti vandals wanted for recent crimes: a video game system or cash.

It is part of their effort to seek information about several instances of graffiti in the town within the past few weeks.

Informants who provide sufficient information to arrest and prosecute offenders will be rewarded their choice of $500 or a Microsoft X-Box, Sony Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii, police said.

"We're ready to step outside the cash reward mindset and try something new and different and see if it works," said Lt. Chris Hagwood of the Garner Police Department. "We know that video games are pretty popular, so we hope that is a motivating factor and gets people talking about the problem that might just ignore it otherwise."

Police are investigating extensive vandalism in the Rosemoor subdivision on March 26 and repeated graffiti attacks in the areas of Benson Road near Garner Rod and related acts near North Garner Middle School over the past several weeks.

"We believe the offenders, as well as those who may know about the crimes, are young people in our area," Garner police Chief Tom Moss said. "We hope this kind of reward motivates them to provide us with information we need to prosecute the offenders."

Anyone with any information about these crimes should call the Garner Police CrimeStoppers at 919-226-2746 or 919-772-8810.

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Latest Comments

RDP, I agree that graffiti IS a problem because of gangs. But go after the gangs, then get rid of the graffiti. Until the gangs are diminished, the graffiti will not either.

07_Bama_Resi
March 30, 2007 4:50 p.m.

Senior07sjhs-

"True True... Quit worrying about the graffiti so much, and go after the actual gangs..."

Sorry to bust your bubble (actually, not sorry) but graffiti IS a problem and IS a gang problem. Gangs use it as a form of communication, imtimidation, and territoy marking.

RPD07
March 30, 2007 12:52 a.m.

Please, don't TRY and seem intelligent. We are all aware I'm not going to call in and say, "hey, juan did it," and expect to go to GPD and redeem our PS2. For those of you who might have read the first comment I posted; FYI I was being facetious. Maybe not all of them are slackers, but a lot of them are, HATE ME for saying that, I don't really care.

07_Bama_Resi
March 29, 2007 8:43 p.m.

_______________________________________________________

Have digital camera & will be lurking in and around there

SlantedFacts
March 29, 2007 8:26 p.m.

you all are so smart, you're stupid.....

first of all, it was a tactic. most of these gang members now are between 8 and 21. they used something that would appeal to their age group!

second of all, or society had evolved. it used to be that people just did the right thing because it's right. now, they have to have some incentive because doing the right thing is not the "norm."

furthermore, i guess you all think the pd is going to give one to everyone who calls. the tip has to pan out.

lastly, for the comment that garner pd is full of slackers, commit a crime down here and see what you get. they may not be large, but they make their presence known and we feel safe!

2AMANDA2
March 29, 2007 7:42 p.m.