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June 3, 2010

GOOD SAMARITANS REWARDED FOR REPORTING GRAFFITI

Mayor Newsom and Public Works roll out the first rewards for

residents who help District Attorney and Police Department convict taggers

and urge more San Franciscans to get involved

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Today, three San Francisco residents received $250 each as part of the City’s Graffiti Rewards Fund, an initiative that offers cash rewards to good Samaritans who report graffiti crimes and work with police and the District Attorney to convict vandals. The program is a partnership between the Department of Public Works (DPW), San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), and the Office of the District Attorney.

The announcement was made at a press conference in the Mission District, set against the backdrop of a recently completed mural created to help deter vandalism in the neighborhood.

The three reward recipients each made reports to the police as witnesses to a graffiti act in their neighborhood. Each of the cases led to convictions with cooperation from the reward recipients, who made themselves available to the SFPD and the District Attorney throughout the process.

"On behalf of the City, I thank those who take the time and effort to report graffiti vandalism," said Mayor Newsom."Engaging residents is our best defense against graffiti vandalism, keeps our city beautiful, and allows us to spend much needed city resources elsewhere.”

To be eligible for a Graffiti Reward, participants must file a police report, provide information that leads to an arrest and cooperate with law enforcement during the investigation and any trial proceedings.

“I encourage more people to participate in the Graffiti Rewards Fund. It helps us hold people accountable for their actions and ultimately helps us keep San Francisco a beautiful, livable, vibrant and sustainable city.” said Ed Reiskin, Director of Public Works.

DPW and the SFPD encourage residents to call 9-1-1 if they witness a crime in progress and always exercise caution. Graffiti that has already occurred can be reported through the City’s 311 Customer Service line.

DPW will spend $3.6 million removing graffiti this fiscal year and notifying property owners to do the same. San Franciscans remain concerned about graffiti vandalism with 26,577 service requests received through 311 in 2008/2009 and 25,857 received this fiscal year to date.

“Graffiti is not a victimless crime," said District Attorney Kamala D. Harris. "The neighborhoods and businesses impacted by this type of costly vandalism are more likely to be targeted for other more serious crime.  The citizens who come forward to report graffiti crime and aid my office in its prosecution are performing a vital public service for which I commend and thank them.

This year, DPW partnered with the San Francisco Arts Commission for the very successful StreetSmARTs program that connects urban artists with private property owners to create vibrant art and make property less likely to be vandalized. The press conference was held at 3247 23rd Street, a StreetSmARTs location where artist Francisco Aquino created a mural to deter vandalism on a heavily tagged building there. DPW coordinates several other anti-graffiti programs, including the neighborhood volunteer program Graffiti Watch, and the Clean and Green Trucks program which paints out tagged up commercial vehicles.

“Not only do we concentrate our efforts abating graffiti as quickly as it appears, but we facilitate anti-graffiti volunteer and neighborhood empowerment programs; we partner with merchants and neighborhood groups; and we are continuously exploring innovative programs, like the Graffiti Rewards Fund, that helps us deter and end graffiti vandalism in our City,” said Mohammed Nuru, Deputy Director for Operations at DPW and Chair of the City’s Graffiti Advisory Board.

Graffiti Reward claim forms are available at any district police station, at www.sfdpw.org, www.sfdistrictattorney.org or by calling 3-1-1.

The public can also find comprehensive information at the Community One Stop on graffiti at DPW’s new website (www.sfdpw.org). The site offers information about city efforts to prevent and abate graffiti, including the Rewards Program, how to get graffiti off all types of surfaces, how to set up your property to discourage graffiti, volunteer opportunities and more. 

The Department of Public Works is responsible for the care and maintenance of San Francisco’s streets and much of its infrastructure. The department cleans and resurfaces streets, plants and maintains city street trees; designs, constructs and maintains city-owned facilities, inspects streets and sidewalks, constructs curb ramps, removes graffiti from public property, and partners with the diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco to provide stellar cleaning and greening services.