By Kevin Aldridge
The Cincinnati Enquirer

WALNUT HILLS - Some people say that a picture is worth a thousand words. But in Cincinnati, getting caught on film could cost graffiti vandals and illegal dumpers a few thousand bucks.

Ten Cincinnati neighborhoods are now using portable, motion-activated cameras to take pictures of people who illegally dump trash or spray graffiti.

The 35mm cameras, purchased through a $52,000 grant from the city's Safe and Clean Neighborhood Fund, have bright flashes and can even talk - "Stop! Your picture has been downloaded. It is illegal to dump at this site. You will be prosecuted. Leave now!"

Police say they will use the film to identify and prosecute violators. Offenders could face a fine of up to $25,000 and four years in jail.

By using film rather than video, the resolution is 10 times better, allowing the cameras to catch license plates at 100 feet.

City leaders, neighborhood activists and officials from Keep Cincinnati Beautiful unveiled the cameras Thursday at Tuxedo Place in Walnut Hills - an area frequented by vandals and illegal dumpers, and now a camera location.

Two of the cameras, valued at $2,400 apiece, have been placed in Walnut Hills and on Alpha Street in Madisonville. The other eight will be installed in College Hill, Corryville, South Cumminsville, Winton Place, Mount Washington, Northside, Clifton Heights and University Heights.

If it works, officials said, the project could be expanded citywide.

E-mail kaldridge@enquirer.com