In November, Denver City Council approved C.B. 673 after working closely with the Graffiti Task Force to draft the new enforcement ordinance.  The new graffiti fines and public service structure escalates according to the number of repeat offenses.  The first offense is 10 hours of community service and a mandatory fine of $100.  The second offense is 20 hours and $200, and the third is 30 hours and $300.  If someone doesn’t have the money to pay the fine in full, the new ordinance allows them to make installments.  The bill is also structured in a way that keeps student violators in school and assigns their public service during off-school hours.  Property owners will also have a hand in wiping out the graffiti faster.  The time allowed to remove graffiti is cut sharply from 10 days to 48 hours for businesses and 72 hours for residential property. 

 

Here are some options to help keep your neighborhood graffiti free:

 

• Denver citizens may arrange to pick up free supplies to paint their own property, paint over city dumpsters, and remove graffiti from traffic signs.  My office is a repository for free paint.  We have a number of colors, and are more than happy to provide you with paint.  We also have graffiti wipes that work on non-porous surfaces.

• For City assistance in removing graffiti, citizens can call 3-1-1 or the Graffiti Hotline 720-865-STOP (7867) or go online to www.denvergov.org/graffiti. 
• Please help the City expedite graffiti requests by reporting exact addresses and locations of graffiti.  The process may be delayed if a location is too vague.  Example:  Address:  1000 Main St.  Location:  On the garage facing the alley. 
• Property owners must give permission for city workers to remove graffiti from their property on the forms available at www.Denvergov.org/graffiti.  

 

Denver is taking part in a beta test of newly developed graffiti surveillance system.  Law Enforcement Associates (LEA), the largest U.S. developer and manufacturer of undercover surveillance equipment, will provide the Denver Police Department with eight of its Graffiti Cam units free of charge, making Denver the first city nationwide to test LEA’s latest technology in graffiti abatement.  The Graffiti Cam is its newest surveillance solution that covertly and proactively notifies law enforcement of graffiti crimes in progress.  If the department is satisfied with the results at the end of the 30-day beta test, the units will be transferred to the Denver Police Department.

 

When the video recording unit is activated via graffiti-related motion, it sends real-time text alerts of the event to designated mobile phones, as well as JPEG images of the event to designated e-mail addresses, enabling law enforcement to dispatch resources and catch taggers in the act.  Hopefully, the Graffiti Cams will enable law enforcement to catch taggers in the act, rather than trying to track them down after the fact. 

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