Anti-Graffiti Initiatives

Here at ECCW we are actively pursuing ways to eradicate our unsightly graffiti. Our research points to some interesting research on what works and what doesn't when it comes to graffiti.

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) came up with a neat little way to combat some of their graffiti, and we're including the link to the full story from the Vancouver Courier article.

http://www.vancourier.com/issues04/053204/news/053204nn3.html

Hopefully the RCMP has a similar program or can work with us to develop an anti-graffiti task force. Interestingly, Det. Const. Valerie Spicer of the VPD reported in the Vancouver Courier that 'a police study in 2004 found taggers were caught 97 per cent of the time after residents called 911 to report them.'

So let's not hesitate to contact the police if we catch a criminal in the act. This is more effective in the long run, and much safer, than approaching them. Most people carry cell phones, and many people have camera phones, so if you see someone tagging our neighbourhood and can take a picture of them without them noticing, then by all means do so, but we can't stress enough that our safety comes first, so please no vigilantism. 911 is our best defense.

On an end note, many people have noticed that much of our graffiti mentions "KBIZ". If anyone knows (or has a hunch) who this might be, we are interested in hearing from you. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). The last thing we want is a gang laying claim to our neighbourhood. Perhaps this person or group of people enjoys bragging about their graffiti, in which case perhaps you or your teenagers may have heard about it. We will pursue all leads and guarantee your anonymity, so please don't hesitate to step forward and help us keep the Edmonds community safe. Cheers.