The City of San Antonio has been fighting graffiti for as long as any officer, active or retired, can remember. Not only is the vandalism an eye sore for San Antonio residents, but costs thousands of dollars to tax payers to repair and recover. Police Chief William McManus sites that the city has already spent a million dollars to cover up almost 4 million square feet of graffiti.
And the city and tax payers aren’t the only ones whose pockets are being raided. Dee Pleasant, a longtime member of Conqueror’s Assembly in Beacon Hill says that graffiti on their church building has cost them time and time again.
“It’s a citywide problem, but in this neighborhood where I worship it is a problem . . . I don’t know if you’ve noticed the church, “ Pleasant said, “we’ve had to paint and it’s two different tones. And inside, they’ve hopped a fence and graffitied the back.”
Graffiti, also called “tagging”, is most likely found on street signs as well as personal and business property. Many times the message is a gang sign or symbol. It is feared that it brings down property values, especially in neighborhoods.
The San Antonio Police Department has begun a new initiative to stop tagging. By working directly with the city’s development services, they are providing a bumper sticker with a direct line for a citizen to call when they see graffiti happening.
“There’s so many times that people are driving down the road, they see this going on (and) they have no idea who to call,” Officer Bryan Cowan said. “A lot of people’s first response is to call 911, which ties up our 911 service. So with the bumper sticker, it gives them a direct line.”
“When you see someone in the process or the act of committing graffiti, please call us,” McManus said. “It enhances our chances of better catching these folks while they are in the process of tagging our property.”
You’ll begin to see the bumper stickers on city vehicles. If you feel strongly about graffiti in your area, you too can sport a bumper sticker. The more the word and number gets out, the better the chances of catching the perpetrators and stopping the defacement of our city.
The number to call to report graffiti is 210-207-SAPD.
(source: ksat)