Community Resources

Graffiti Prevention: Best Practices for Communities

Communities are tackling graffiti vandalism with a variety of tools. While each of these best practices can be effective, the most successful programs use a comprehensive, systematic approach that includes continuous education and community involvement, improved technologies for removal, updated ordinances, and consistent enforcement and prosecution.

Here's a list of best practices that are getting results. Consider what might be used to improve the graffiti prevention strategy in your community.

Form a Task Force

Graffiti Removal Form a local task force to focus on graffiti. Include police, city government, and a variety of community members�businesses, schools, and neighborhood groups. Creating partnerships to solve chronic community problems can be especially effective for tackling graffiti vandalism.

Educate

Graffiti Removal

Education is vital to effective graffiti prevention. Educate youth as well as community members and leaders about the impact of graffiti vandalism, how it can be prevented, and how everyone can do their part to help.

Set Up a Graffiti Hotline

Nearly all successful community graffiti prevention programs provide a way for citizens to report graffiti vandalism. In many cities, an 800 number, a dedicated telephone line, or a web site is established for this purpose. It's an effective tool to educate about the problem and offer a way for citizens to help. A hotline also encourages a consistent system for responding to graffiti vandalism. Always respond promptly to reports of graffiti vandalism.

Consider Local Anti-Graffiti Laws

Ensure that existing anti-graffiti laws are being enforced. Law enforcement dedicated to tracking and apprehending graffiti vandals is a strong deterrent. A survey of arrested taggers found "fear of getting caught" was the top response when asked what would get them to stop tagging.1 For guidance and models for developing effective local anti-graffiti laws, visit the National Council to Prevent Delinquency web site.

1 City of San Jose, CA, "Tag Class Youth Evaluation," 2001 and 2002.

Launch Adopt-a-Spot

Graffiti Removal

A growing number of communities are asking citizen volunteers to help keep an area they have "adopted" graffiti-free. These programs improve awareness and actively engage citizens in graffiti prevention and removal. To assist volunteers, consider providing them with a graffiti removal kit or access to a paint bank, where paints, rollers, brushes, and other equipment can be "borrowed" from a central location, such as a fire station, as needed.

Conduct a Local Graffiti Assessment

Successful graffiti prevention and abatement programs show results. To really know the impact your efforts are having on graffiti vandalism, periodically survey or measure the amount and type of graffiti in the community or in a designated/target area of the city (such as a 20 block radius).

Some community programs simply count the number of graffiti tags, log them in a database, and then check them off as the graffiti is removed. Graffiti assessments are also helpful to budget for cleanup or secure a budget for graffiti prevention and abatement activities.

Keep a Database

There are numerous benefits to keeping a database of a community's graffiti sites and abatement activities:

Engage At-Risk Youth

Graffiti Removal

More communities are taking steps to involve at-risk youth in the creation of paint brush murals and other community activities that give them a sense of participation and pride in their neighborhood.

Offer Removal Kits

One way to help residents and businesses remove graffiti promptly on or near their property is to offer them graffiti removal kits. A typical kit will include simple removal tools and safety props. To find out more, take a look at a program imitated by the Reno Police Department in Nevada.

Provide Victim Assistance

Consider establishing a method to assist victims of graffiti vandalism?private property owners and businesses. Help victims get prevention education, know what to do when they have been hit with graffiti, where to get help with removal, and any other assistance appropriate for your community. The Prince William Clean Community Council in Virginia offers a unique removal reward program. Learn more.

Download Graffiti Hurts® "Tips for Businesses" and "Tips for Homeowners."

Work With Law Enforcement

Graffiti Removal

All good community graffiti prevention programs work in close coordination with local law enforcement. Police can step up patrols in areas where there has been increased graffiti vandalism, they can speak to neighborhood and school groups, and they are an integral part of any graffiti database. They are also the ones that eventually make the arrest.

Officers regularly assigned to school campuses to educate, mentor, and get to know the youth are especially effective:

Practice CPTED

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a method used by architects, city planners, landscape and interior designers, and law enforcement to create a safer community through the physical environment. CPTED includes four strategies:

To get educated on CPTED, visit the National Crime Prevention Council

Put Graffiti Vandals "On Notice"

Once your community and its law enforcement have established a plan for preventing graffiti and targeting graffiti vandals, put offenders on notice. This includes using the media to publicly announce that law enforcement intends to be vigilant about responding to graffiti vandalism and making arrests. Also publicize any specific arrest of a graffiti vandal. The effect of this tool is to create more perceived risk for the offender.

Crime Stoppers is another way to give notice to graffiti vandals. It also adds more "eyes" for reporting this crime. Crime Stoppers programs in Santa Clara County, CA, and Portland, OR have specifically targeted graffiti vandalism-and are having success. Learn more.

Get tips for using the media to address graffiti.

Hold a "Graffiti Summit"

Graffiti Removal

Use a graffiti summit to educate and rally the community around responding to graffiti vandalism. This can be an annual public event, or something less formal that is held more regularly with a small group of stakeholders. Invite experts to speak about enforcement, removal technologies, and education.

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Focus on "Hot Spots"

Target graffiti prevention and abatement efforts on "hot spots" or areas where graffiti is concentrated. Identifying these areas can be done visually, or conduct a graffiti survey to establish areas where graffiti is occurring most. Many in law enforcement use crime mapping to identify areas where particular crimes are concentrated in a geographic area. Mapping an area can also highlight factors that may be creating an environment for graffiti and other crimes.

Work with the Court System

About 13% of youth in trouble account for 87% of crime, and 80% of first time offenders don't re-offend.2 Many interventions for youth are connected with a court event, so make sure that judges understand and are educated about graffiti vandalism, its impact on the community, and the most effective way to handle those who offend.

In Albuquerque, NM they address graffiti vandalism in both the criminal and civil court system. This allows them to take taggers to court to pay for damages, which can add up to several hundred thousand dollars. They have filed 89 lawsuits against taggers and their parents under a Nuisance Abatement ordinance. This program is lowering recidivism and drawing parents in to the process.

To coordinate the efforts of law enforcement and the juvenile courts on graffiti in Milwaukee, WI, all parties meet every two months. Penalties for graffiti offenders include restitution, jail time, and participating in the Community Conference Program. The Community Conference involves the victim, offender, a city representative, and the District Attorney, who acts as the facilitator. If convicted offenders agree to participate, the sentence may be lighter. The program has proven effective in reducing recidivism.

Also consider including graffiti offenses in a youth court. Find out about youth courts and see if there is one in your area.

2 Kip Leonard, Youth Court Judge. Presentation at U.S. Department of Justice Annual Conference on Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation, July 19-21, 2004 in Washington, DC.

Case Studies

Richland County Sheriff's Department, Columbia, SC

In 1997, the Community Action Team and the Gang Task Force were formed to work with citizens to address problems of community disorder, including graffiti removal and prevention. To date, they have identified over 788 gang members and cleaned up graffiti on 1,125 locations, with 13% recidivism and a 29% reduction in vandalism over four years. Using the Graffiti Hurts® curriculum, school resource officers and members of the Gang Task Force educate in the schools. Police officers also work with citizens to identify and remove graffiti, with officers removing graffiti daily while on patrol. The Community Action Team has grown to over 100 Crime Watchers and Homeowners Associations that meet quarterly.

The Edison Weed and Seed Program, MI

In 2004, to address graffiti vandalism and other quality of life crimes in Edison, a two-square mile area in the center of Kalamazoo, MI, Edison Weed and Seed's Neighborhood Restoration Team adopted graffiti as one of its signature activities. To engage residents and businesses in graffiti prevention and cleanup, the Neighborhood Restoration Team, which includes over 40 volunteers, has removed graffiti from nine sites that remain graffiti free.

In conjunction with this effort, Edison Weed & Seed established a paint brush mural project on the fa�ade of the Rent Way building, which was chronically hit with graffiti. In August 2004, a professional artist worked with Edison youth residents to execute and design the mural, changing the blight to a community landmark.

The program also emphasizes balanced and restorative justice to rehabilitate offenders. In partnership with the Kalamazoo Probation and Enhancement Program, individuals who commit a violation in the Edison neighborhood are assigned to participate in the graffiti abatement program as part of their probation sentences-and to help heal the damage done to the neighborhood.

Operation Brightside, Inc. Kansas City, KS

In 2003, to respond to an increase in graffiti, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS, built a coalition of public and private organizations to assess the graffiti problem and design a solution. This Graffiti Task Force targeted ordinance changes, expanded public and youth education, and coordinated a new abatement effort. After one year, a total of 644 graffiti cleanup projects were completed, 96 percent of calls to the graffiti hotline have been resolved, and the new code enforcement process is providing victims with free assistance.

Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful, CA/Riverside Against Taggers

Riverside Against Taggers (RAT) spearheaded anti-graffiti legislation, hosts quarterly volunteer paint outs, and ensures that reported graffiti is removed within 24 hours-and often in less than 12 hours. But the centerpiece of their program is youth education. RAT staff has adapted the Graffiti Hurts� curriculum to meet California scholastic standards. Lessons are presented to K-3 students, with 4-6 grades targeted next. In conjunction with the lessons, RAT has produced Captain ERASE coloring books, which are also distributed at county fairs, city events, and graffiti education events.

Learn More

Buffalo Weed and Seed, NY

In the past year, Buffalo Weed and Seed spearheaded six public paint brush mural projects to remove and prevent graffiti. Dedicating one staff to the project and using in kind donations and community and youth volunteers, they help people understand that their neighborhood has a meaningful history and that people care about it. They also developed stronger relationships with community centers and block clubs using them to have a direct interface with residents and youth for planning and executing the murals. To date, all the murals have remained graffiti free, and the community has come together to take care of their neighborhood.

City of Vista, CA Weed-n-Seed - Vista In Bloom

Graffiti Removal

When the City threatened to close the skate park, which was a hot spot for graffiti and other types of vandalism, typically costing the city $10,000 a year in repairs and removal, local youth and their parents went to the City Council and said that they would keep it clean if the City would keep the park open. The youth formed "skate and bike watch groups" to take charge of the park and seven months later have had only two minor acts of vandalism-at a cost of $25.00.

Located in northern San Diego County, City of Vista has over ten groups-many of them youth-participating in the adopt-a-block program to keep neighborhoods clean and remove graffiti. In partnership with the Sheriff's Crime Prevention Unit and the Neighborhood/Business Watch, they have also implemented Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design assessments (CPTED) at apartment complexes, mobile home parks, and strip malls.

Graffiti Removal

Most recently they initiated "Vista in Bloom," a partnership between the City's Public Arts Commission, a COPPs Deputy, and the City's Parks and Recreation Department. Using donated supplies and volunteer artists, 12 frequently graffitied utility boxes were painted by 11 artists (donating an average of 30 hours each) turning them into colorful murals with an agricultural theme to highlight the community's history.

Fairfax County Police Department, West Springfield N.P.U., VA

To respond to increasing tagger and gang-related graffiti in Fairfax County, VA, located just outside the Washington, DC area, the West Springfield Neighborhood Patrol Unit in June 2004 started a program called E.N.G.A.G.E. (Eliminate Gangs and Graffiti Exploits). They record, track, and monitor graffiti using "ABM" software, which allows them to share graffiti information with other jurisdictions, a model being used by the FBI. The software is used in England, Australia, and in certain jurisdictions in the U.S.

They have also established a camp for at-risk youth. Camp attendees are provided with mentoring experiences, role playing exercises, and tools to help them make positive choices. In the community, the officers provide education on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design assessments (CPTED), and speak at public meetings and schools on graffiti prevention and abatement. They also provide Neighborhood Watch training. They hope to extend their educational efforts with a program about graffiti on the County's cable station.

South Bend Police Department, IN/South Bend Weed & Seed Alliance Inc.

In the summer of 2003, residents and businesses on the Westside of the City of South Bend, a culturally diverse neighborhood, were clamoring for help to combat a growing amount of graffiti vandalism. In response, 49 sites were painted over. But the City found that just painting over existing or new graffiti was an endless cycle. To step up and redefine their efforts, the South Bend Police Department formed a task force with the Westside residents, the City of South Bend, the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's office, and several community-based organizations.

Through the task force, they targeted youth (identified through a survey) to participate in an anti-graffiti art project. The invitation to selected middle schools, one high school, and local churches included a project overview, educational materials, rules for the anti-graffiti art contest, and a pledge to be signed by the students asserting their stand against graffiti.

Funded through a Weed & Seed grant and a Mayor's Fund allocation, seven winners received savings bonds of $1,000 to $200 and the winning designs are being displayed on billboards purchased through grants, with view time donated by a local ad agency. The Billboards have inspired neighbors to get involved. The Hispanic Soccer League will adopt one of the city parks hardest hit by graffiti.

By fall 2003, 160 youth had submitted designs advocating the elimination of graffiti and by May 2004, the 20 city blocks targeted for the project saw a 60% decrease in graffiti. Neighborhood Watch and police presence has also been stepped up in the area. By January 2005, graffiti has been removed from an additional 31 sites. While 11 of the sites were tagged again, graffiti was removed immediately, and all 80 sites remain graffiti free.

Baltimore Police Department, MD

Graffiti Removal

The Baltimore Police Department and Access Art, a local youth art center, teamed up on the "Mural Project," a creative outlet for Baltimore City youth that discourages tagging in favor of public displays of positive community images. The premise is that to change attitudes and behaviors, young people must participate in their neighborhoods. Following 50 hours of professional art instruction and education to promote civic responsibility, the youth conceived and created a 25-foot by 75-foot paint brush mural showing residents in different stages of community involvement. Youth who would otherwise be involved in graffiti vandalism became advocates for cleaning up the neighborhood and acting as role models for other youth. In 2003, Baltimore City painted over 500,000 square feet of graffiti at a cost of $350,000.

Reno Police Department, NV

To respond to a growing population and an increasing number of graffiti tags-1,085 in a six block radius-in 2003, the Reno Police Department developed a "Graffiti Removal Kit" to help residents and business remove graffiti promptly. The result of this program is a 20% reduction in graffiti. During the first six months of 2003, there were 1650 graffiti sites. In the same time period in 2004, that number was 916.

The kit includes a 3-ounce can of graffiti removal solution, a sponge, a steel wool pad, goggles, plastic gloves, a dust mask, and paper towels contained in a can to mix the removal solution. For an initial pilot program, 100 kits were provided at no charge to community members, but now cost $10 each-a cost reflecting donated and discounted materials. Information about the in-demand kits was distributed through the City of Reno's seven Neighborhood Advisory Boards.

Prince William Clean Community Council, VA

The Prince William Clean Community Council (PWCCC), a nonprofit funded through donations, in-kind services, and government grants, has set up a Graffiti Removal Reward Program to assist victims of graffiti. Property owners that have been vandalized receive a $25 Removal Reward and a first time removal of graffiti when they report the graffiti to police and promise to remove any future graffiti within 72 hours.

Once the police receive the report, the PWCCC offers assistance and solutions, including the use of volunteers for cleanup, discounted paints, and some removal products. They also have a Graffiti Victim Liaison Program. A liaison assigned to each victim of graffiti vandalism helps them manage rapid cleanup and provides guidance on preventing future graffiti.

The PWCCC has also established Talk About Graffiti, a program for graffiti offenders assigned to community service by the courts. It includes a two-hour in-class graffiti education curriculum and two graffiti removal activities. Parents and guardians are also encouraged to participate.

Looking Good Santa Barbara, CA

In July 2003, Looking Good Santa Barbara (LGSB) collaborated with the City to launch a coordinated anti-graffiti effort. Through this initiative, they established an anti-graffiti ordinance, kicked-off an Adopt-a-Block program, started ongoing youth education, and, in conjunction with the Police Department, conducted a graffiti survey, estimating 5,000-7,000 tags. Program partners include the Kids that Care Clean-Up Program, the City Streets Division, and the Santa Barbara Downtown Association.

Their first project was the Anapamu pedestrian bridge, neglected and plagued by graffiti vandalism. Over 350 volunteers, including City staff, LGSB, Calvary Chapel members (donating over 1,000 hours of volunteer time) and neighbors transformed the bridge in one day, picking up litter, removing graffiti, and replanting landscape. In coordination with the cleanup, the Police Department staged a "sting" operation and arrested five taggers.

The Police Department has also partnered with LGSB to provide funding for every local school and library in Santa Barbara to receive a copy of Graffiti in Tahiti along with graffiti education teaching plans. To kick off the initiative, the Mayor, Chief of Police, and police officers read the book to students at local schools.

Church of Glad Tidings, Live Oak, CA

The Church of Glad Tidings engaged two sheriffs departments, two police departments, and the highway patrol to set up a program for rapid removal of graffiti in Yuba and Sutter counties in Northern California. Since the program started in 2001, 250 sites have been painted over using 680 volunteer hours.

Here's how it works. The Church educated law enforcement about graffiti vandalism and the need to remove it rapidly, installing "zero tolerance graffiti buster" posters in all agency briefing rooms. Officers on patrol call in graffiti locations to the dispatcher. The dispatcher completes a notification fax and sends it to the church, spelling out the location of the graffiti, requesting agency, and officer's name. With donated supplies and volunteers, the Church sends out cleanup teams each Saturday.