PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                               

Thursday, February 24, 2011    

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PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEE CATCHES GRAFFITI VANDALS IN THE ACT

Police apprehend two taggers in the early hours of the morning after a Public Works employee spotted them vandalizing the Stockton Tunnel

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Two suspected graffiti vandals were caught in the act by a fast acting Department of Public Works (DPW) employee early Sunday morning. The overnight employee spotted two men marking up the wall of the Stockton tunnel at 2:45am Sunday as he performed routine street and sidewalk cleaning services. He immediately reported the vandalism to the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD).

The employee later worked with police officers to point out the suspects who had by then made their way toward Sacramento Street. The officers were able to apprehend the individuals. Both were detained and released with one receiving a citation for vandalism.

DPW and the SFPD encourage residents to call 911 when they see a tagger in the act of graffiti vandalism and to always exercise safety when doing so. DPW, the District Attorney's Office and the SFPD collaborate to sponsor the Graffiti Rewards Fund, which offers $250 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of graffiti vandals. Last year, five San Francisco residents cashed in from the reward.

DPW responds to over 17,000 complaints of graffiti vandalism on public and private property. For more information and to take the Zero Graffiti Pledge along with 2,700 other San Franciscans committed to keeping the City beautiful, visit http://zerograffitisf.org.

DPW 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. For more information, please visit www.sfdpw.org