MANCHESTER — Taggers not only mark their territory with spray paint, but also sometimes put their tags on the Internet in their endless quest for an audience.

But they don't want to risk arrest by being seen when they create what owners of the buildings they target usually move quickly to wash off or paint over.

Manchester Police Capt. Rick Reilly, who heads the community policing division, said the graffiti is found all over the city, although there have been increased complaints from shopkeepers and residents along South Willow and Beech Street since the South Manchester Rails to Trails program has provided a paved walkway.

“It's an attractive place for young people to loiter,” said Reilly. And, it provides easy access to tagging targets.

“The location of the tag is everything,” said Reilly, the more noticeable the better for the tagger. “Their glory is where they put their tag,” he said. “They are looking for an audience.”

While downtown buildings are always targets because of the visibility they provide, Reilly said some of the taggers take amazing physical risks to leave a mark.

Like on the Island Pond Road over Interstate 293, hanging off the bridge. Or the Northeast Utilities substation next to the Shaw's store on South Willow, where taggers climbed a barbed-wire-topped chain link fence to gain access to a dangerous high-voltage area.

Northeast Utilities spokesman Martin Murray said, “That facility has a long history of being tagged. We do respond, painting over it.”

But Murray's concern is the safety issue for the taggers. There is a good reason for the chain link and barbed wire around the substation. “Anyone entering is do so at some risk,” said Murray.

Jay Kolodze, whose family owns the Batteries Plus store on South Willow, considers it a part of doing business.He said the latest paint assault was a week or two ago. When it happens, he goes out with his paint can and paints over the graffiti, but admits sometimes it's hard to get a perfect paint match.

He said the Batteries Plus store used to be across the street, in the shopping center. “Several years ago, it was the whole back side of the building (that was tagged),” said Kolodze.

He said the nearby Hertz store is also a regular target. “We get hit about the same time,” he said.

And at the E&R Laundry and Cleans, 565 Gold St., the response to a question about graffiti was: “They hit us, we clean up.”

At the Beechmont Market, 609 S. Beech St., taggers decorated the building about a month ago and the owners removed the “art” from the brick siding.

Across the street, the Shannon Gray Salon has been victimized repeatedly. The graffiti on the south side of the building is the third batch.

The first time, the owner cleaned it off herself. The second time, the city removed it. Now it's back again and someone also used a knife or other sharp object to damage the storm door.

“It's so upsetting,” said a woman at the salon who asked not to be identified. “They should paint on canvas,” she said.

But Reilly said that wouldn't satisfy the taggers' need for an audience.

He said it's frustrating for police, because the taggers need to be caught in the act, or caught on camera. But the vandals usually wear hoodies and scope out where there are cameras, so they can be avoided.

With school back in session, Reilly said school resource officers sometimes spot a tag symbol on the bottom of a skateboard, or on other property, and are able to track down the tagger.

Reilly is well aware the taggers also like to show off on the Internet and said: “We use the Internet as a resource all the time.”

He said a few people are often responsible for many tags. so catching one “artist” can make a significant difference in the number of buildings and other property that is defaced.

Reilly urged anyone seeing a tagger at work to call the police immediately, or provide anonymous information about a known tagger by calling Manchester Crimeline at 624-4040.

The city has a graffiti removal unit, which uses a high pressure water system to remove the offending paint, but it is used mostly for public buildings.

The city has modified its policy and is willing to remove tags from some buildings that are visible from the public right-of-way, but a written application must be made and approved and there are some restrictions. Among them, the city doesn't work above the first floor of a building.

The Manchester Police Department website has information about reporting graffiti and removing it at http://www.manchesternh.gov/website/Departments/Police/Graffiti/tabid/450/Default.aspx

To find out more about the city's policy on graffiti removal and to obtain an application, go to www.manchesternh.gov, then click on highway, click on forms and applications, and click on graffiti removal.

dvincent@unionleader.com