We have all seen graffiti vandalism. We see it in various places on virtually a daily basis and it can have a frustrating and discouraging effect on our daily lives as well as upon the entire community. Most of you have probably wondered what, if anything, can be done to prevent vandalism and what is currently being done by the City of Oxnard to help reduce the problem. There are many things that businesses, individuals, Neighborhood Watch groups and City staff can do to reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim of graffiti and below I have discussed a few ideas. While I hesitate to say that we can ever fully “eliminate” all graffiti, I do believe that working together, we can have a significant reduction.

First, we all need to make our property and that of our businesses less of an attractive target for the vandals. Lighting is a great deterrent. It does not give the tagger the comfort of not being seen at night and it allows you to see them easier. Motion sensors can be great near your home as long as they are high enough to not be vulnerable to being damaged by the vandals. These vandals, obviously, do not want to be caught and making it more difficult for them to get away with tagging may send them off without ever following through with the crime. Strategically planting trees, vines or thorny bushes near susceptible areas can also prevent or limit access to taggers.

Taggers want their “artwork” to be seen by as many people as possible. Reporting the graffiti as soon as you can helps to get it removed quickly. The City has a very progressive graffiti removal program (GAP) and the hotline number is 385-8010. The more quickly tagging is removed, the less likely a tagger will want to tag the same place. They are more likely to continue to tag places that leave their handy-work untouched so they receive the most notoriety. If possible and practical, cleaning the graffiti yourself will reduce the burden on the GAP program and still get rid of the graffiti. Just be sure to photograph the graffiti first and submit the photos to the police or your Neighborhood Watch Captain later. Calling a police officer to take a report is also acceptable. Paint is available to organized neighborhoods like yours in limited quantities through the City. For information, call the GAP Hotline.

When witnessing graffiti, do not try to apprehend taggers. They may be armed and dangerous. Calling the police is the preferred method of reporting and we can ensure anonymity if you wish. Try to take specific note of suspect descriptions. The dispatcher will ask you for a description so that the responding officers have a chance to look for the suspect(s) upon their approach. We may be busy sometimes and unable to respond quickly. However, we also may be just around the corner when the call comes out and just as likely be able to arrest them. It is typical that one arrest of a prolific tagger can have a dramatic effect upon the graffiti throughout the entire neighborhood for a significant amount of time.

It is this comfortable partnership with the community and the police department that will make the difference in the reduction of graffiti vandalism. The citizens of Oxnard are a valuable resource that the police department cannot do without. Please report the graffiti and do not be discouraged if we don’t get them every time. Let’s send a message that we care about our city.

If you have a graffiti in progress, dial 9-1-1. If it is graffiti that occurred earlier, call 385-7740. If you have a graffiti related issue, please call the Graffiti Investigator, Brian Bishop, at 385-7660 or call your Beat Coordinator, Cliff Waer at 385-8260.