The Spray- pain T ed ThreaT Covered T he FenC e.

Lynn Robert and her husband had been annoyed by ongoing vandalism to their lawn. A line of dead grass seemed to have been killed intentionally by a vandal, and they were determined to do something about it.

“We wondered if it was gang members,” Robert says. “My husband put a security camera in the front yard, and they did this a week later.”

The Victim: Lynn robert

The Crime: Criminal mischief

Date: Wednesday, May 23

Time: 2 p.m.

Location: 6500 block of Tulip

“This” was a large message spray painted on their back fence: “Try again dipshit.”

Apparently, their suspicions that the grass was being killed intentionally were correct.

The vandalism was certainly disturbing. They no longer believe it is the work of a gang member, Robert says, but the work of a lone vandal. Police are still investigating, and Robert is trying to determine the best way to remove the paint.

Dallas Police Lt. Richard Dwyer of the North Central Patrol Division doubts this was the work of a street gang, and thinks it is more likely someone who has some type of “perceived grudge” with the homeowners.

“The complainant stated this has been going on for two years, so it is likely that this stems from some type of incident from back then,” he says.

Dwyer says graffiti usually comes in two forms: “tagging” and “gang.” The vast majority of reported graffiti is tagging, which is done by either “urban artists” who feel the need for the world to be “enlightened” by their creativity, Dwyer says, or someone who paints his initials just to let people know he was there.

For more information on graffiti, visit the crime information section at dallaspolice.net.