KANE'OHE — Hundreds of Kailua and Kane'ohe residents gave up their Statehood holiday yesterday to wipe out a neighborhood blight: graffiti. And with the slate "clean," police said they will plan stings in an effort to control the problem.

Residents combed the streets and highways in police-led teams of 10 or more armed with paint brushes, paint remover and scrapers to reclaim their community from the taggers. They painted over utility boxes, fences, propane tanks and walls. The skate rinks in both communities where wiped clean by people ranging in age from 10 to 70. At least half of the volunteers were children and teenagers.

"The goal is to paint these out as soon as we can so the message goes out that it's not acceptable, said Katherine Marrone, vice president of the Windward Neighborhood Security Watch Coordinators. "The longer it stays, the more the message is that we don't care."

Police officers Ryan Sato and Alfred Sonny Kanoho organized the project with the Neighborhood Security Watch members, but members of Hope Chapel, the Kailua Boys and Girls Club and Castle High School Key Club were among the volunteers.

"We had more volunteers than we had areas to paint," said Kanoho, who worked with about 100 Kailua residents. Kane'ohe Ranch Co. Ltd, the Kailua Chamber of Commerce and schools helped and donated material, Kanoho said.

The Kailua group thought they would spend most of their time painting out graffiti on the levee running across Kawai Nui Marsh, but Peter Hummel of Spraymaster's Painting beat them to the job, he said.

In Kane'ohe, Elizabeth Kim, 16, of Castle High School, said the graffiti was ugly, and even if some of the taggers show talent, they aren't putting it to good use. Plus, they don't think of the consequences of their behavior and how others are cleaning up after them, Kim said.

"I don't see how they can do that and not have any remorse," she said.

Sato said the problem has worsened in the last five years, and after the paint-out, plain-clothes officers will set up stings. In Police District 4, Windward, there have been 20 graffiti arrests of juveniles and adults so far this year, he said.

People will also be asked to call police if they see new paintings, and police will wipe them out, he said, adding that police want to hurt taggers in the wallet.

"It does cost the kids money to buy the paint, and hopefully if we can keep wiping it out, that's going to wear them out," Sato said, adding that stings will also work to deter taggers. "We're going to take a zero-tolerance response to them."

In 2005, police investigated 1,111 graffiti-related complaints that resulted in arrests for a total of 227 counts, police said. The number of suspects arrested for those counts, however, is not part of the record-keeping, police said. Through June 2006, there have been 753 complaints and arrests for 127 counts, police said.

Volunteer Rebecca Bell, one of more than 100 people helping in Kane'ohe, said the more people involved, the quicker police can get the problem under control, but she would also like to see if the problem has another solution.

"I feel it can be a positive, constructive outlet for kids if it's done in the right way or it's put in the right place," said Bell, a Salt Lake resident. "There's a lot of talent, and kids need that place to get it out."

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.