At long last, my story on Sgt. Dwight Waldo, of SBPD and an expert in tagging, has run. You can read it here, and watch a video about him as well.
What I appreciate most about the sergeant is his passion and drive. Usually,when I find someone who possesses what borders on obsession for a subject, I know it will almost always make a good story.
In his case, as it happens, the obsession is twofold. Professionally, it’s tagging; personally, it’s for music. For the commenters below the story are incorrect. His music playing is not staged. It is something he does often, walking the streets playing a violin, or bagpipes.
As he told me, he’s become, in an interesting way, a lot like the taggers he stalks, fascinated with finding astonishing places to do his thing: atop a boulder in Gettysburg, a hotel roof, in front of the Queen Mary, or just getting exercise walking through his neighborhood. Of course, he doesn’t leave behind scrawls that cost strapped cities thousands of dollars to clean up.
A fascinating fellow. Thanks for your patience, Sgt.