The War on Graffiti

~by Keith Huntsman

During NACA's January 2008 meeting, Detective Kevin Bartles (photo, seated) of APD's Graffiti and Property Crime office joined us with a presentation on the graffiti problems faced by our area. He delivered a very informative and entertaining PowerPoint show on graffiti and the video surveillance systems that can be used to combat it. We also heard from Tony Caceres (left in photo) of Austin's Graffiti Abatement Program, on what to do when hit by graffiti and need it removed. This report is a synopsis of their presentations.

Graffiti is an all-too familiar form of vandalism that can be seen defacing far too many walls, bridges, bus stops, fences and utility boxes throughout the city. It can range from simple scratches in painted surfaces to elaborate works of "art" rendered in spray paint and indelible inks, intended to mark a territory or yowl a message. While the taggers may range in age from pre-teen puppies to gang members and wannabes in their twenties, they are alike in that they couldn't care less about property appearance or values.

The City of Austin promotes a four-pronged attack against graffiti: pursuit, reporting, abatement and prevention.

Activity in Progress: Call 911

If you see someone working with paints or markers where they have no right or reason to do so, it is a crime in progress and aggressive action is definitely called for. You should call 911 immediately to roll a patrol car to the scene. Catching the perpetrators in the act and getting them arrested and booked is the most effective means of combating the crime.

The Done Deed: Call 311

If you find graffiti on a surface with no tagger in sight, call 311 to report it. Give the operator the location, a description (the message if you can read it), and the time frame during which it may have been done.

Keep in mind that the 311 operators are not police officers. Calling 311 does not get a police report filed. If you want to report it as a crime - and you should - you must specifically ask the 311 operator to connect you to APD's Graffiti and Property Crimes Unit to file a police report. You can always ask for Detective Kevin Bartles, head of the Graffiti and Property Crimes Unit. Give the full description and, in return, ask for the case number assigned to the report.

And finally, if you have a digital camera, take pictures of the graffiti to document the mess before it's removed or painted over. This will go a long, long way toward fining the vandals and building a court case against them. The photos can be sent electronically to kevin.bartles@ci.austin.tx.us. Be sure to specify the case file in the e-mail. If you have a standard camera, you can send the photos to APD as soon as they're developed.

If you have repeated problems close to you, you might consider electronic surveillance. There are plenty of cameras of various costs out there that can be installed with a bit of effort and imagination. The varieties are enormous, from highly visible bracket mounted cameras to some that can be hidden in anything and focus through a hole no larger than a pencil lead. Resolution also varies, from broad surveillance to pinpoint closeups. There are even some that are equipped with infrared night vision. They can be operated through electricity or battery, and transmit through wire or wireless to a monitor or a VCR or DVD recorder. The price can range from ten or fifteen dollars to hundreds, depending on your enthusiasm.

I found a very interesting website, Security Camera out of Germany, that's a great place to start your research. (Yes, it's also in English.) As your NACA website has non-profit sponsorship, we can't refer you to a commercial site.

Abatement

Once the graffiti is reported and documented, you can either get rid of the mess yourself, or you may request action by the Graffiti Abatement Program.

If you remove the graffiti yourself (and you are responsible for dealing with it within thirty days, by city ordinance), keep track of the cost of material damage and the cost of the supplies needed to clean it up. The severity of the crime is directly connected to the cost of repairing the material damage. Report the cost to the Graffiti and Property Crimes office (e-mail Kevin Bartles again) and specify the case file number. That will help a lot when it comes to prosecution.

If you're unable to clean it up yourself, or if what you reported is on public (or someone else's private) property, the Graffiti Abatement Program, headed by Tony Caceres (tony.caceres@ci.austin.tx.us) can help. To request this service, you may call 311 and request "Graffiti Abatement", or use the Customer Service Request System on the City of Austin website. The Austin Youth Development Program provides the manpower for the job.

Prevention

Obviously, no one can sit around and watch for tagging to happen. But there are a few things that you can do to discourage these self-proclaimed "artists" and even catch them in the act.

Even if you don't have a local neighborhood watch, you can keep your eyes open for suspicious activities or people you don't know. Any sight of someone wielding a can of spray paint should get your attention - and some of these puppies are impudent enough to spray anything in full daylight. Also, beware of getting your own property used against you: if you have spray paint in your garage, say, be sure they can't be seen from the street and made a target of opportunity.

And the Law

City Ordinance 950323-K ( a PDF document) has the details governing the reporting, abatement and prosecution of graffiti. Any questions may be addressed to Kevin Bartles at the Graffiti and Property Crimes Unit. But 911 for reporting current activity or 311 for reporting damage done should always be your first option.