Gang-style graffiti in Bluffton and on island has officers wondering: Wannabes or the real thing?

A rash of graffiti found around Hilton Head Island in the past two weeks seems to indicate the presence of two Latino street gangs: Surenos 13 and MS-13.

But the tagging of signs, fences, buildings, homes and school buses also could be the work of "wannabes," people just trying to emulate the violent gangs often associated with drug trafficking.

At least 10 incidents of graffiti involving symbols attributed to both gangs in greater Bluffton and on Hilton Head Island, causing an estimated $2,650 in damage, have been reported to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office since May 9. All except one occurred on the north end of the island.

"It would be difficult for me to tell you that there's anything to it unless we identified who did it and did a background investigation on them," said Sheriff P.J. Tanner. "We haven't been able to establish the authenticity of any of the markings. Without being able to identify those who left the markings and their motivation behind doing so, it's difficult to say if it's just kids being kids or if we might have some problems. Because we don't know, it keeps us vigilant."

Capt. Steve Mendoza, who specializes in gang intelligence for the Sheriff's Office, said instances of gang graffiti gradually have moved into the county over the past several years.

Each incident is photographed and sometimes shared with other law enforcement agencies.

"The community can be assured that everything possible is being done to identify these individuals," Mendoza said. "They're not going unnoticed. Every incident is being looked at and investigated."

Gangs have been identified in major metropolitan areas in the state, including Charleston and Columbia, and also in smaller towns, like Orangeburg, but so far, not in Beaufort County.

The Bluffton Police Department also has responded to several instances of graffiti lately, including at the still-closed Buckwalter Regional Park and near the Bluffton schools complex.

In Bluffton, police chief David McAllister is pretty sure the incidents have been the work of juveniles familiar with the gang symbols, based on the areas where tags have been spotted. He said some people moving into the area have knowledge of the gangs and "are sort of taking over the name."

"We want to make sure we don't have an active chapter here," McAllister said, "but the thing is, if you're really in a gang, you're not going to tag a power box next to the school."

Both gangs, which have fluid hierarchies and little or no coordination with other chapters, tend to keep lower profiles than that, according to McAllister. They're typically involved in drugs and violence.

"These are kids," he said of the graffiti sprayers.

Because the crimes most often are committed after dark, it's difficult to catch the culprits.

In Bluffton, plans are in the works to add cameras to Buckwalter Regional Park. The Police Department also is pushing for the county to open the new park to the public, so it'll be harder to spray-paint a building or sign without someone watching.

Hilton Head also is expanding its surveillance camera program to cover other areas targeted by vandals.

The ultimate goal is to catch those who are responsible, but local law enforcement agencies also will settle for the less perfect scenario: identifying the culprits, even if there's not enough evidence to charge them.

That would result in gathering enough intelligence to determine "if there's a potential threat or not," Tanner said.

At Northridge Cinema 10 on Hilton Head, a maintenance worker painted over the Sur-13 graffiti left last week.

"We try to get it off as quickly as we can," said theater general manager John Snodgrass. "They come and spray-paint, but I have more paint than they do.

"It's an annoyance because I have to get my maintenance person to spend a few hours painting over it, but we just look at it as part of doing business."