Unfortunately, some people believe that graffiti is art and should be protected. This is FALSE! As you know, there is nothing artistic about vandalism.  It is very difficult to prosecute someone who vandalizes with graffiti, commonly called a "tagger" unless caught in the act so please help prevent these crimes from occurring. You can make a difference. Here are some tips:

• Use bushes, vines and vegetation (especially barbed varieties) near buildings. With fences (open lattice) or trellises.
• Don’t put a mural on your building, as this increases the graffiti in the area dramatically.
• Paint your building with a special sacrificial coating (special waxy paint)-prevents graffiti from "sticking" so well.
• Install motion sensor lights or motion sensor sprinkler systems.
• Paint your building with darker colors.
• Minneapolis police are encouraging victims of tagging to civilly sue taggers for damages.
• By not removing graffiti you provide a "free wall". Eventually parents sue because their kids brains are fried or they get injured. Free walls are basically practice grounds for taggers.
• Most people will see tags & interpret it as gang related. It really damages a business and a city’s reputation.

5 Ways to decrease graffiti

1.  Immediately remove any graffiti

• Taggers are drawn to areas where tags remain up the longest.
• For painted surfaces-keep extra paint on hand for quick cover-ups
• For sensitive surfaces-consider utilizing a sacrificial coating for easier removal
• For glass, etching may be removed via a cuffing process. In a preventative mode, consider the installation of a protective film.

2.  Deny easy access to potential targets, especially blank walls.

• Utilize fences, vegetation (e.g., short thorny or thick bushes) or other items to keep people away from blank walls, especially in areas of limited activity.
• Deny access to roof areas which could be used by taggers to tag a second floor wall.

3.  Eliminate items which allow people to legitimately congregate near blank walls

• Eliminate payphones, benches and other items which allow people to congregate near your building, especially after business hours.

4.  Make walls less attractive to taggers.

• Use clinging vegetation, like ivy to cover up blank walls.
• Choose darker paint colors’ they are less attractive to taggers.
• Use window boxes with vegetation to cover walls.

5.  Report all graffiti

• Call 9-1-1 to report all crimes, whether they are in progress, about to occur or have occurred already.