good samaritans rewarded for reporting graffiti

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.