PACIFIC BEACH — Officer Alan Alvarez with the San Diego Police Department spoke about graffiti during the Pacific Beach Town Council’s Aug. 18 meeting. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be gangs doing the graffiti,” Alvarez said of misconceptions about graffiti. Graffiti is often spray painted in the form of a signature and this signature is referred to as a tag. If the police are able to collect many examples of one particular tag, or signature graffiti, the suspect can be charged with more counts, possibly making the offense greater, Alvarez explained. He emphasized how important it is for the public to report vandalism such as graffiti. To make a report, the public can call the police department, obtain a case number, take a picture of the graffiti and e-mail it to the officer handling the report. Alvarez said that an officer will give a presentation during a future Town Council meeting about the ongoing graffiti problems in the beach community and will instruct the public on how to report a problem. The date of the special presentation is not yet known. Meetings take place the third Wednesday of the month at the Pacific Beach Women’s Club, 1721 Hornblend St., and are open to the public. —DEBBIE HATCH