Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Lancaster to Offer Gift Rewards, Not Cash, for Reporting of Graffiti

In an attempt to encourage businesses while they discourage graffiti, members of the Lancaster City Council have announced plans to change the reward system for those who furnish information about graffiti, a City Council spokeswoman said Wednesday. The council voted 3 to 0 Monday night in favor of a Lancaster Chamber of Commerce suggestion to offer $500 in purchase certificates for Lancaster businesses to those who provide police with information about graffiti that leads to a conviction, instead of the $1,000 in cash that was previously awarded, said Nancy Walker, a council spokeswoman.

Aside from assisting Lancaster businesses, the change will save the city money, Walker said. In the past 18 months, Lancaster has paid $14,000 in cash rewards. Before that, no awards were issued because juveniles were not usually convicted for graffiti, but plea-bargained instead, she said.

Stricter policies at the Los Angeles County Probation Department and the Antelope Valley office of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have increased the number of convictions, which means more rewards, Walker said.

Sgt. Bob Denham, a spokesman for the Antelope Valley sheriff’s office, said the increase in the number of people reporting graffiti has increased dramatically in the last year, a fact he believes has very little to do with reward money.

“Since the Los Angeles riots, the willingness of people to get involved has changed,” Denham said. “The overwhelming majority of people calling to report graffiti are not calling to get a reward. They are calling to get rid of the graffiti.”

Denham said the sheriff’s office receives between three and 10 calls a day from a cross-section of the community with information about graffiti.

If accepted, the new system will allow those who receive rewards to choose $500 worth of goods or services from a list of participating Lancaster businesses. The businesses must register with the Chamber of Commerce and agree to offer the goods at a 20% discount.

Sandra Dack, executive director of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, said the idea came out of a brainstorming session of the business services committee.

“We’d like to make sure the money is spent here in Lancaster,” Dack said. “The money is tied to taxes which translates into a better quality of life.”