Austin police bust 18 of the worst graffiti vandals in the city. Police say each one is responsible for thousands of dollars in damage.

"They started with the trashcans -- hitting the trashcans -- then it went to the wall, the door, the windows," Portia Milligan said as she pointed out the spray paint marks.

Milligan says her hair salon is in the middle of a graffiti war that's cost her over $600.

"It's pretty frustrating because if you leave it up they put more. If you clean it, they want a new slate you know," Milligan said.

Milligan started fighting back by calling police. Now, one of the vandals is in jail --Will Goodwin, 18.

"We can do something about it," APD Detective Kevin Bartles said.

Goodwin is one of 18 arrested this week. All part of Bartles' 10-month long investigation into the work of graffiti gangs.

"Up until this point, a lot of people had just given up on it and they accepted it," Bartles said.

Bartles says you don't have to. He's closing in on 130 vandals around the city. He knows their styles. He just needs reports.

"It's going to take a lot of cooperation between the police department and the citizens," he said.

Milligan helped police stop one vandal.

"I'm glad they caught him," she said.

Now she's onto whomever left the latest graffiti marks.

If you notice graffiti anywhere, take a picture of it. Then, call police. Once you've filed a police report, call 3-1-1 to get it cleaned up.