The Wall Street Journal reports that law enforcement officials across the nation are stepping up efforts to prosecute graffiti taggers, just as taggers are moving into the mainstream of the art world. In years past, authorities usually didn't go out of their way to prosecute the artists, most of whom use pseudonyms to protect their identities.
Now, law-enforcement officials in major cities around the country are sharing information, creating catalogs of graffiti work by artist. Police can use evidence of past vandalism to obtain search warrants, and "stack" charges to prosecute graffiti vandalism as a felony.
