Utah Senate kills controversial graffiti bill

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate killed a bill Thursday that would have criminalized the possession of graffiti tools.

SB107, sponsored by Sen. Karen Mayne, D-West Valley City, would have made possession of spray paint, markers or other equipment with the intent to deface property a Class B misdemeanor.

Mayne said she sponsored the bill to give law enforcement more tools to deal with a vexing problem for communities.

But some senators said the measure would punish people for their intent instead of their actions.

The measure also had unintended consequences. Tuesday, the activist cyber group that calls itself Anonymous hacked into the Salt Lake City Police Department website to protest the bill. The hacking resulted in a temporary shutdown of the site.

The bill died on a 11-17 vote.

— Marjorie Cortez