Despite a police crackdown on graffiti, at least one vandal managed to hide his or her work in plain sight this week — on the front entrance to the Boulder County Justice Center.

Using what appears to have been a set of stencils and white paint, someone added a set of quotation marks around the word “justice” on the facility’s main sign at the corner of Sixth Street and Canyon Boulevard.

According to some passersby, the graffiti appeared sometime late Sunday night. But no one at the justice center, including the attorneys, prosecutors, judges and police officers who work there daily, noticed the markings for days.

Some workers said they appreciated the attempt at humor.

Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett was less amused when he saw the quotations for the first time Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m quite proud of the work that happens at this center,” he said. “So to suggest on the official sign that it’s not justice is not appropriate.”

Garnett suggested that a disgruntled patron of the court system could be to blame.

“From time to time, people are disgruntled with a particular result, and that’s understandable,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean it’s not justice.

“I don’t always agree with the results that the courts reach, but it’s justice. And it’s done as fairly and as thoroughly as is humanly possible. The people of Boulder County and the people of Colorado should be very proud of what happens in this building.”

At Garnett’s request, a pair of sheriff’s deputies inspected the work Wednesday and said they were beginning an investigation.

Although the justice center is managed by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, the building is located within the city. That means the Sheriff’s Office will have to call the Boulder Police Department to file a vandalism report.

Contact Camera staff writer Heath Urie at 303-473-1328, or urieh@dailycamera.com.

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