Catching southern Indiana graffiti artists with portable cameras

CORYDON, Ind. (WDRB) -- Beneath the hum of a highway the sun shines through a canopy of lush green vegetation, but the sun also spotlights something out of place.

“We encounter a lot of graffiti,” said Indiana Conservation Officer Jim Schreck.

Under the Highway 135 Bridge at Hayswood Nature Preserve, there is a collage of color.

“Spray painting, obscene pictures, vulgarities, tagging,” said Schreck.

Schreck says it happens in many states parks. He adds some of it may be gang activity, but thinks most of it is just kids expressing themselves at the expense of public property.

“It's frustrating because a lot of these areas are open to the public. Families, folks like you and me, bring our families there and kids are exposed again to obscene pictures,” said Schreck.

In addition to the graffiti, drug use and other illegal activity often occur in these secluded areas.

“We patrol these areas heavily, but a lot of them are tucked away. Folks think they’re not going to get caught, so they’re going to express themselves and slap some paint up there,” said Schreck.

But conservation officers have eyes in sky -- placing surveillance cameras in areas that see a lot of vandalism.

“They're portable, we move them where we need them, just depends on what type of case we're working,” said Schreck.

He adds a lot or the graffiti he sees should be on a different canvas.

“A lot of these drawings are pretty good. Some of the folks that are doing this are wasting their time defacing public property when they actually have talent. That’s the sad thing.”

The Department of Natural Resources tries to cover up the graffiti if it’s at a park, but if the vandalism is on a state highway, it’s up the state to clean.

Graffiti: Urban art or vandalism?