Graffiti

Hagerstown Police respond to calls The Hagerstown Police Department responded to the following incidents, according to spokeswoman Barbara Pickett. Monday o A sprinkler system flooded a building in the 12000 block of Little Elliott Drive. o Graffiti was written in wet cement in the first block of Buena Vista. o A door frame was damaged in the 1600 block of Woodlands Run. o Graffiti was written in wet cement in the 800 block of Concord Street. o An assault and strong-armed robbery involving the theft of a bicycle occurred in the 300 block of Jefferson Street.

Turner's Taxi driver remains missing A Turner's Taxi driver who left for Queens, N.Y., last Wednesday remained missing Monday night, Hagerstown City Police said. Kenneth Wayne Bradford, who had worked for the company for about a month, is described as a white man, standing 6 feet, 4 inches tall and weighing about 225 pounds. He has blond hair. The cab he was driving was found last Thursday in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and reported to Hagerstown authorities on Sunday, police said.

scottb@herald-mail.com WILLIAMSPORT - The Washington County Sheriff's Department has increased its presence at Williamsport High School following the Sept. 23 discovery of a threatening message scribbled in a restroom and a bag containing 166 bullets that turned up in a locker a day later, Principal John Davidson said Thursday. "Additional law enforcement personnel will be on site Monday and will remain involved until the investigation is complete," Davidson said in a letter he sent home to parents Thursday.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. - Park rangers at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park are doing all they can to ensure the view from Jefferson Rock is still "worth a voyage across the Atlantic," despite a recent act of vandalism. Late Tuesday or early Wednesday, someone painted the top of the famous rock red, and used red paint to write graffiti on nearby rocks, said Chief Ranger Jennifer Flynn. "'Peace' is really the only word we could read," Flynn said of the graffiti.

To Hagerstown Councilman Al Boyer, for following through on his pledge to take stronger action against graffiti vandals in the city. If you want to create art, buy a sketchbook. To the City of Martinsburg, for setting up a Citizens Police Academy which features a nine-week course to give local residents a better understanding of the issues facing police today. For more information, call 1-304-264-2100 before Jan. 23. To the Federal Communications Commission, for its ruling that a U.S. Cellular tower proposed for the Harpers Ferry area must go through historic reviews before it can be built.

Hancock's candid cameras fight vandalism By KIMBERLY YAKOWSKI kimy@herald-mail.com HANCOCK - If you're in Hancock, you might want to smile for the camera. For the past few months, the town has used hidden video cameras to monitor activities in public areas that have been targets of vandals. continued Hancock has at least two cameras the town purchased with a federal grant secured by Police Chief Donald Gossage, Hancock Police Department Sgt. Shawn Tasker said.

Editor's note - Please be as brief as possible when calling Mail Call, The Daily Mail's reader call-in line. Mail Call is not staffed on weekends or holidays so it is best to call Mail Call during the week. The Mail Call number is 301-791-6236. You are welcome to leave a recorded message on any subject, but some calls will be screened out. You must include your town or county of residence. Here are some of the calls we have received lately: "Gov. Ehrlich deserves applause for trying to get some respect.

SHARPSBURG - Five Sharpsburg boys, ages 14 to 16, stood in front of the Sharpsburg Mayor and Town Council individually Monday night and apologized to the town for graffiti. Each boy said it would not happen again. "I want to thank all of these young men for removing and correcting the damage they did and for their courage for coming here," Mayor George Kesler said. "We hope you will help keep the beautiful Town of Sharpsburg beautiful from now on," Kesler said. The boys spent the weekend cleaning up their graffiti, scrubbing it off signs and using blacktop sealer to cover damage to the elementary school's parking lot, said Deputy Bill Blair with the Washington County Sheriff's Department.