Provo police on Tuesday announced the arrests of seven juveniles they say are responsible for dozens of graffiti cases.

The teens, ages 12 to 17, were responsible for 77 cases of graffiti in Provo, police said, and some had gang affiliations. The suspects' names were not released because they are minors.

Police said the first of the seven was arrested about a month and a half ago after an officer caught him tagging. The investigation led them to the other suspects, all of whom gave written or oral confessions, police said.

"This sends a definite message to the youngsters that we will catch them and hold them accountable, not only for the graffiti they're caught doing, but also the graffiti they've done in the past," said Provo police Sgt. DeVon Jensen in press release.

Investigators were able to tie the suspects to prior graffiti cases using a database that includes photographs of every case of graffiti reported to Provo police. The database tied the suspects to 77 cases from 2007 and 2008.

"The officers did an outstanding job in following leads and then connecting those leads to various suspects," Police Chief Craig Geslison said in the press release.

Provo recently started using cameras around the city to monitor areas that are frequent targets for taggers. In April, the city announced a summer-long program that offered an iPod to anyone who provided information leading to an arrest and conviction for graffiti. As of the end of June there were 302 cases of graffiti reported in Provo in 2008, which police said was less than half the 1,045 cases reported in 2007.

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