IRVINE : Hot Line to Target Graffiti Vandalism
A rash of spray-paint vandalism has prompted city officials to set up a 24-hour graffiti hot line.
Calls to the hot line, (714) 724-7196, will be recorded and played back daily by the Community Services Department’s graffiti removal staff.
The hot line is part of a recent city effort to crack down on graffiti vandals. The City Council in July asked city staff members to come up with a coordinated approach on fighting graffiti.
Other recent anti-graffiti efforts include police stakeouts of popular graffiti areas and a proposed law that would allow city officials to clean graffiti from private property, even if the owner refuses to cooperate. That proposal is expected to be considered by the council later this month.
Residents reporting graffiti to the hot line should describe the graffiti’s location and the time the graffiti was first noticed. Callers can either leave their names and phone numbers or remain anonymous.
Information about the graffiti will be shared with police, who will photograph graffiti and try to link it with the culprits.
In July, police used handwriting analysis to link graffiti with a 17-year-old Irvine resident, who later confessed to leaving his “tag” in several areas of the city.
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