City of Anaheim - ACAGE Home

Background Info

The City of Anaheim is committed to maintaining and improving the quality of our community by preventing and removing graffiti. In May of 2008 the City formed the Anaheim Community Anti-Graffiti Effort (ACAGE).
City staff working with residents, community leaders, and the business community developed a comprehensive strategy that attacks graffiti from all sides of this complex issue. ACAGE focuses on a variety of fronts, including education, protection of property, prompt removal, applicable justice efforts and collaborating with local programs serving Anaheim youth to reinforce the negative consequences of graffiti
We remain committed to the prevention and removal of graffiti, and are confident that together we can improve the beauty of our City, making Anaheim an even better place to live and work.

Who is on the committee

The Anaheim Community Anti-Graffiti Effort is comprised of City representatives from the following:
Code Enforcement- Sandra Seaton
Police Department- Julian Harvey, Juan Reveles
Neighborhood Services within Community Services- Anaheim Sporn, Joe Perez
City Attorney’s Office – Mark Facer
External Affairs- Marty DeSollar
Anaheim Union High School District –Rick Martens

How often does the committee meet

ACAGE continually works together towards preventing graffiti. The next formal ACAGE meeting is anticipated during Fall 2011.

Neighborhood Council meetings occur on a quarterly basis. We encourage community members interested in learning more about their neighborhood to attend. To view the Neighborhood Services website with the latest information regarding Neighborhood Council meetings, click here.

To get involved with the Anaheim Community Anti-Graffiti Effort:
Anaheim Police Department
425 S. Harbor Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92805
714-765-1997 ext. 1018

To receive ACAGE emails and newsletters, subscribe to E-Info by clicking here

Get Involved

Report Graffiti

3 easy ways to report graffiti:

Phone
To report graffiti, call 311 from any phone in Anaheim or 714-765-4311.
To report graffiti in progress. please call 9-1-1

Online
To Report Graffiti online, click here

Smartphone
My Anaheim iPhone and Android App
Download the My Anaheim app from the App Store or Android Market to report graffiti from your smartphone. More information, please visit www.anaheim.net/MyAnaheim

Adopt a Block

Help paint out graffiti in a neighborhood by getting involved in the Adopt a Block Program. By adopting the Neighborhood and Business Watch programs, “Adopt A Block” can be implemented as one of many tools for residents. Stakeholders involved in Adopt a Block can remove graffiti as soon as it appears. Groups are provided with materials including paint, pans, roller covers, and rags. If you are interested in receiving paint free of charge to assist in painting out graffiti, please call (714) 765-4195.

Neighborhood Watch

Start up a Neighborhood Watch/Business Watch in your neighborhood.

Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program, which enlists the active participation of citizens in cooperation with law enforcement to reduce crime in their communities.
It involves:

Neighbors getting to know each other and working together in a program of mutual assistance;
Citizens being trained to recognize and report suspicious activities in their neighborhoods;
Implementation of crime prevention techniques such as home security, security through environmental design.

There are currently over 400 neighborhood watches established in the City of Anaheim. If you are interested in starting a neighborhood watch please call our Crime Prevention Specialist (714) 765-5252 or email to anaheimpd@anaheim.net

To learn more about how to get involved, please contact: please contact Crime Prevention Specialist at (714) 765-5252 or via email at Anaheimpd@Anaheim.net

Get Involved

Report Graffiti

3 easy ways to report graffiti:

Phone
To report graffiti, call 311 from any phone in Anaheim or 714-765-4311.
To report graffiti in progress. please call 9-1-1

Online
To Report Graffiti online, click here

Adopt a Block

Neighborhood Watch

Start up a Neighborhood Watch/Business Watch in your neighborhood.

Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program, which enlists the active participation of citizens in cooperation with law enforcement to reduce crime in their communities.
It involves:

Neighbors getting to know each other and working together in a program of mutual assistance;
Citizens being trained to recognize and report suspicious activities in their neighborhoods;
Implementation of crime prevention techniques such as home security, security through environmental design.

To learn more about how to get involved, please contact: please contact Crime Prevention Specialist at (714) 765-5252 or via email at Anaheimpd@Anaheim.net

Graffiti Prevention

General Info, what can residents do-Protecting the Location

ACAGE works with community members to help make locations less vulnerable to graffiti. Below are some suggestions:

Provide well-maintained landscaping which makes the area inaccessible (ex. thorny shrubs, bushes, or vines).
Use exterior lighting in dark areas. Code Enforcement administers the Dusk to Dawn Program which offers free security lights to the public; this program is funded through Anaheim Public Utilities.
Design buildings with surfaces that can be easily repainted or use materials with anti-graffiti coatings on textured materials like concrete, brick, stone, stucco, and stained or unfinished wood.
Report suspicious behavior to the Anaheim Police Department. You may report suspicious behavior by calling 714-765-1900 or via the My Anaheim app for the iPhone and Android.

There have been notable achievements in protecting the location aspect of graffiti prevention, they include:

Developing information about techniques that reduce vulnerability to graffiti, such as protective coatings, lighting, security cameras, landscaping, and removal techniques.
Testing and evaluating the use of remote, web-based cameras as deterrents to graffiti.
Advising owners of property that has been tagged of steps that can be taken to make their properties less vulnerable to graffiti.
Identifying standards that will make development less susceptible to graffiti. These standards address landscaping, lighting, use of graffiti-resistant coatings, graffiti prevention plans, etc.
A draft ordinance has been prepared that incorporates recommended Code changes. This draft ordinance was approved by the Planning Commission.
The committee has also identified potential partnering agencies to work on this effort.

The committee continues to engage in other activities that can promote further protection of vulnerable locations. These include continuous consideration of innovations in technology that can help prevent graffiti, assisting agencies in finding ways to reduce graffiti through lighting, landscaping and other measures, and continuing to identify opportunities to deter taggers from accessing sites through high fencing, locks and other means.

To learn more about the Protecting the Location component of ACAGE, please contact: to Sandra Sagert, Community Preservation Manager at (714) 765- 4413 or via email at SSagert@Anaheim.net

Schools

The Schools committee has been successful in completing several efforts to effectively work with Anaheim schools to prevent graffiti.

Anaheim Union High School District has joined the TAGRS (Tracking & Automated Graffiti Reporting System) website database network. The system is used to store and trac graffiti incidents. It is designed to help investigators identify and prosecute graffiti suspects as a shared database among Law Enforcements.
TAGRS allows school administrators to upload pictures of any graffiti found on school grounds and cross references the data countywide.
Schools are educating students who are found with permanent markets, drawings, slap tags, etc about the TAGRS database.
Students are becoming aware that if their graffiti (slap tags, etc) is found elsewhere in the community can now become part of the charges they will face. Using the data from the TAGRS system allows the committee to track graffiti in a larger manner and educate students that they could face a larger cleanup bill and possibly criminal charges based on the degree of the offense.
The creation of the "train the trainer" program for parents.
Focusing on the roles and responsibilities of parents.
Describing the financial, criminal, and educational consequences of graffiti to parents.
Providing a resource guide for parents.
Using existing school clubs and organization to develop program that address graffiti issues.
Evaluating the use of anti-graffiti signs and Graffiti-Free Zones in the schools.
The creation of a teach/staff education program.

In addition, there are ongoing efforts such as exploring ways to target educational efforts to most frequent offenders, inviting positive role models to be guest speakers to convey an anti-graffiti message, and publicizing an anti-graffiti message during school recesses.

Anti-gang and anti-graffiti education is part of the Gang Reduction and Intervention Partnership (GRIP) program currently being implemented at seven schools in Anaheim. The Safe Schools Unit is partnering with several agencies to promote “Green Ribbon Week” by conducting anti-graffiti and vandalism lectures throughout the Anaheim City School District (ACSD) and the Magnolia School District.
The C4K (Cops for Kids) program, formerly known as APAL (Anaheim Police Activities League), promotes healthy activities and good citizenship through positive role models. This is an after school program run by the Anaheim Police Department. Students are mentored and taught self-discipline through structured programs like the Tiger Woods Learning Center’s “Start Something” program. Participants are taken on camping trips, weekend bike rides, fishing trips, and other activities that offer positive alternatives to criminal activity. Participants are only allowed to stay in the program if their attendance, grades, and behavior remain at acceptable levels.
Junior Cadet Program: At-risk elementary school aged kids are mentored and taught discipline through military-style drills by positive role models.
The City of Anaheim offers art classes through the Community Services Department throughout the City as well as afterschool recreation programs and adult recreation sporting leagues.
The Community Services Department offers a program called Project S.A.Y. (Support Anaheim’s Youth) that works with youth living in at risk environments to involve them in sports, community service, leadership and positive activities. Community Services Specialists work closely with junior high and high school age youth and their parents.

To learn more about the Schools component of ACAGE,
please contact: Sgt. Juan Reveles at 714-765-1448

Youth Graffiti Prevention

The Anaheim Community Anti-Graffiti Effort (ACAGE) strives to provide access to positive role models to foster constructive alternatives to graffiti.

ACAGE has identified the specific goal of disseminating an anti-graffiti message as a component of existing youth programs to help prevent graffiti. Some of the programs and activities include:

Creating a common message for youth programs through an ongoing collaboration with the “Schools” committee.
The development of a comprehensive distribution plan to all youth programs. This is being achieved through the implementation of “Graffiti Hurts”, a five week anti-graffiti curriculum currently being implemented by members of the Anaheim Youth Advisory Council. Click here to view a sample curriculum matrix.
Enlisting the assistance of faith-based organizations in efforts to prevent graffiti. The ACAGE project was presented to the Anaheim Religious Community Council (ARCC) to work towards this goal. Staff is working on targeting specific churches, congregations, mosques, places of worship, to implement the Graffiti Hurts curriculum to their after school programs.
Providing training to youth workers and the community about graffiti to help them recognize the signs of tagging and reinforce anti-graffiti messages. Two trainings to youth service agency staff have been completed thus far, with a total of 253 staff trained to date. In addition, six community graffiti awareness presentations have been completed by Project S.A.Y. (Support Anaheim’s Youth) Program staff with a total of 195 community members attending.

To learn more about the Youth Graffiti Prevention component of ACAGE, please contact: Jennifer Cardenas, Community Services Department at 714-765-5246 or via email at jcardenas@anaheim.net.

Paint Supplies

Interested in receiving paint for your neighborhood?

Residents may receive paint at no charge from the
City to paint out graffiti in their neighborhood.
For paint, please call Code Enforcement at (714) 765-4195

Adopt a Block

Justice

How is the City attacking the problem of the adults writing graffiti? What are the consequences for adults?

There are several arrest procedures, depending on the level of the crime (misdemeanor or felony), the age of the offender, and whether the crime is gang graffiti or tagger graffiti. The following is a list of different post arrest procedures:

Adult misdemeanor (anything under $400 worth of damage) tagger: Adult misdemeanor tagger graffiti arrests are usually booked at the Anaheim Police Station. However, the arresting officer has the option to issue the offender a citation and release them at the scene.
Adult felony (anything over $400 worth of damage) tagger: All adult felony tagger offenders are booked at the Anaheim Police jail and sent to court on the second court day after arrest.
Adult misdemeanor gang: Adult misdemeanor gang graffiti arrests are usually booked at the Anaheim Police Station and sent to court the next day. NOTE: All gang graffiti charges are reviewed for possible criminal enhancement upgrades to felonies.
Adult felony gang: All adult felony gang graffiti offenders are booked at the Anaheim Police jail and sent to court on the second court day after arrest.

All court convictions can include one or more of the following punishments:

Monetary fines including restitution
Probation and/or Parole time
Jail and/or prison time
Community Service Hours

ACAGE has identified specific goals that can strengthen the justice system as it relates to graffiti related crimes. Analyze the use of judicial orders to restrict access by graffiti offenders to specific locations.

Revise the Graffiti Reward Program to improve community participation in the apprehension of taggers. What is the graffiti reward program?
Require parents of convicted minors to assist in the removal of graffiti or supervise their child's removal of graffiti.
Expand the ability to link past and present crimes to enhance punishment of repeat graffiti offenders. How? With the use of technology like the program “taggers” ?
Enhance the effectiveness of the tools available for law enforcement to prevent graffiti. For example?
Ensure appropriate punishment and restitution is achieved for graffiti offenses.
Create an information packet to give to victims of graffiti.

To learn more about the Justice component of ACAGE,
please contact: Sgt. Juan Reveles at 714-765-1448

What is ACAGE, History, Basics

Background Info

Who is on the committee

How often does the committee meet

A meeting is scheduled for March 15, 2011. ACAGE continually works together towards preventing graffiti. The next formal ACAGE meeting is anticipated during Fall 2011.

To get involved with the Anaheim Community Anti-Graffiti Effort:
Anaheim Police Department
425 S. Harbor Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92805
714-765-1997 ext. 1018

Anaheim Community Anti-Graffiti Effort Achievements
(updated March 2011)

Get Involvement (Community Involvement) Achievements

Doubled Neighborhood Watch from 90 to 180, and added anti-graffiti information to the Neighborhood Watch curriculum.
Increase community wide graffiti prevention and removal through the use of non-profits as a force multiplier for City Services. Anaheim Beautiful, the Rotary, Kiwanis and Key Club have been helpful to increasing removal of graffiti.
Increased business involvement through Business Watch by leveraging outreach through the Chamber of Commerce.

Ongoing

Adopt a Block- together neighbors walk their streets or a neighborhood of their choosing to proactively assist with graffiti prevention and removal. Most recently, neighbors have come together in the Colony area to form Colony Watch. To learn more or to become involved in the Adopt a Block program, please call (714) 765-4195.

Neighborhood Walks-neighbors come together to create high visible neighborhood group walks at specifically targeted times and locations (near schools and path to/from at begin and end of school, after school programs end time).

Neighbors bring along graffiti removal supplies from City as well as flashlights at night, cell phones and cameras to assist with graffiti prevention and removal. To learn more or become involved, please call Neighborhood Watch Crime Prevention at (714)765-5252.

Empower neighbors to get to know their neighbors. By educating fellow neighbors, neighborhood can learn more information from them about the problem and assist with graffiti prevention.

Increase awareness crime prevention through environmental design strategies

Dusk to Dawn Lighting available from the City, for more information, please call (714) 765-4195
Place cameras up on your property to help deter crime

Justice

Increased the effectiveness of the justice system as it relates to prevention and prosecution. Since jails, prisons and juvenile detention facilities are all over crowded, we sought other means to pursue this effort by:
Increasing the use of diversion programs through community service. The Chief of Police has the authority to divert cases from court to diversion/ education program, with court as a backup if not completed.
Require community service hours including graffiti clean up to occur in Anaheim, in addition, restitution for labor and supplies. Juvenile offenders are required to have parental involvement by parent and child attending educational program as intro to diversion.
Increase awareness of the Reward Program. Individuals can receive a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a graffiti vandal.

Justice-Diversion Program

Implemented the diversion program for juveniles who are arrested for graffiti.
Juveniles qualify for the diversion program if they are of elementary or junior high school age, the dollar amount of the damage caused was minimal, they have strong parental involvement or a combination of these and other factors.
Juveniles involved in gangs or tagging crews who cause a large amount of damage do not qualify for the diversion program.
Over 100 juveniles have been referred to the program with an 85% success rate.
The City has recovered several thousand dollars in restitution from juveniles in the program.

Current Initiatives:

The City is using the latest technology to assist us in combating the graffiti problem in the city.
A new data base called TAGRS allows the City to track graffiti vandals throughout the county and allows every other city in the county to know which people we are looking for. This new system also allows for city and school personnel to document/report graffiti from their cellular phones. This allows for hundreds of saved personnel hours throughout the course of the year.

The City is also going to test the latest in web based surveillance cameras in hopes that they will be helpful in identifying and catching vandals in the hardest hit areas throughout the City. If successful, these cameras will also save hundreds of personnel hours of city and police personnel throughout the year.
The City continues to search for additional tools to combat the graffiti problem by looking at what other cities are doing that is successful.
The City of Riverside passed a new ordinance allowing it to recover from graffiti criminals and their parents not only the cost of cleanup, but police and attorney costs as well. Riverside has recovered thousands of dollars per year in restitution using this new ordinance. We are determining whether this program can be implemented in Anaheim by modifying a current ordinance or whether a new one is needed.

Schools

The City continues to utilize the influence of schools to help promote prevention education to students and parents.
Schools have implemented anti-graffiti education for staff, teachers and parents.
Schools have incorporated anti-graffiti message as part of the safe schools curriculum.
School based graffiti prevention through school club activities, which includes graffiti free zones (with signage). This has all resulted in one of biggest successes of ACAGE with a 50% decrease in graffiti around schools.
TAGRS database has been put out to Assistant Principals in Anaheim to have them assist the Police Department in identifying taggers.