BRIGHAM CITY — A rash of graffiti in all corners and cubbies of this Box Elder community has prompted city officials to post a $500 reward.
“We’ve been hammered,” police Lt. Mike Nelson told the council, describing graffiti that bears the letters “GCK.”
Mayor Dennis Fife announced the reward for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of what police believe to be youths spraying the graffiti.
Initial graffiti attacks depicted the words “ghetto cowboy kids.” The graffiti was subsequently shortened to “GCK.” Crowns are painted atop each letter. In recent graffiti hits, the letters have become fancier, with what Nelson described as “bubble letters.”
The graffiti has appeared on all types of surfaces, from city hall and the Brigham City Library to a van belonging to the Boys and Girls Club. Graffiti has been found on stop signs and construction-site trailers. Numerous businesses have been tagged with the now-recognizable GCK.
It’s also not limited to a specific section of the city, though it does seem to be contained within the community. The tagging began in May and has occurred fairly consistently over the last few weeks, Nelson said.
Police officials have been following all possibilities, including checking with stores for recent purchases of spray paint and communicating with school teachers to see if anyone recognizes the GCK doodle. Nelson said parents might identify the mark if they see it scribbled on their children’s notebooks or posted on a bedroom wall.
Police have even reassigned an officer to patrol the city in a police golf cart, sometimes without headlights.
“He’s covered miles and miles,” Nelson said.
Brigham City has a midnight curfew for children and teenagers.
Because the handwriting differs from painted tag to tag, police suspect more than one individual is involved, Nelson said. Police don’t believe it is gang-organized tagging, he said.
Whether it’s an organized group, though, is “hard to say at this point,” said police Lt. Dennis Vincent, “namely because we’re trying to identify suspects. Hopefully, the reward will help.”
To report information on the graffiti, call the Brigham City Police during daytime hours and ask to speak with an investigator; the number is 435-734-6650. After hours, contact nonemergency dispatch at 435-723-5227.
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