Graffiti On The Rise In San Jose

POSTED: 8:10 pm PDT March 12, 2007


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SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The city of San Jose has seen an astronomical increase in graffiti taggings over the past year, NBC 11 reported.

The city continues to cover those marks through its anti-graffiti program, but said for the first time in eight years there is a lot more to cover.

According to a survey San Jose does each January, in 2005 there were 129 incidents reported and in 2006 there were nearly 2,600 -- an increase of more than 2,000 percent.


"It is an increase, but in terms of our overall effectiveness we're still at 96 percent of our original target," said Cynthia Bojorquez, with San Jose's Anti-Graffiti and Litter Program.

That target was set in 1999 when people reported more than 71,000 taggings around San Jose.

The deputy director of the city's anti-graffiti and anti-litter program said they will investigate the reason for the increase, but said one could be the city's crackdown on another problem.

"We shifted resources from the graffiti program to our litter program," Bojorquez said. "We want to see what effect that could've had on the increase."

Bojorquez said the numbers show that tagging on private property is down, but tagging on city property is up, along with calls to the graffiti hotline, which is taking in about 30 new reports a day.

The city said it aims to have all graffiti covered up within 48-hours, and within 24 hours if it's gang-related or vulgar.

Citizens can report graffiti on property by calling the graffiti hotline at 408-277-2758.