The only thing missing are the smocks.
The NYPD is arming its cops with cans of spray paint and giving them art-class-style lessons to tackle the scourge of urban graffiti, The Post has learned.
Shootings are on the rise across the city, but the directive from Police Headquarters is to hunt down street art and cover it with black, red and white spray paint, sources said.
The cops were even given instructions like “spray a square around the tag and then fill it in” — in areas such as Bushwick, Brownsville and Bedford-Stuyvesant, police sources said.
Some officers say the new policy wastes time, puts them in danger and does nothing to make the neighborhoods safer.
“This whole graffiti program is ridiculous. Some of these neighborhoods are really dangerous. There should be more of a focus on serious crime,” said one cop.
A high-ranking officer added, “The summer is right around the corner. Shootings always go up in the warmer months. This year is no exception. You can’t have officers wasting their time on graffiti taggers.”
In the past week, citywide shootings spiked 50 percent compared to the same period last year. It has risen five percent this year as a whole.
Under the new graffiti protocols, cops are instructed to photograph the vandalism, “box it out” and paint over it “in a professional manner,” according to an internal memo.
Officers should cover up only “identifiable tags, not large murals,” according to the memo, sent May 2.
In some precincts, officers are to look for graffiti on storefronts and other businesses — and then persuade the store owner to file a criminal complaint.
Sources said they are trying to send a message to the vandals.
“It’s supposed to discredit their work . . . and break their manhood,” one cop said.
The policy is under way in all five boroughs.
Highway officers are also required to cover up roadside graffiti along thoroughfares such as Long Island Expressway and Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
“Cops are not happy,” said one officer.
NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.