CentralJersey.com
November 28, 2008
Sayreville aims to wipe out graffiti
By Susan Loyer, Staff Writer
SAYREVILLE — There’s a new ordinance that officials hope will deter
graffiti artists from leaving their marks in the borough.
The ordinance sets stiff fines and penalties for defacing property in
the borough, as well as for possession of paint or an indelible marker
for the purpose of defacing property. It also sets specific time
constraints for removal of graffiti and fines which may be levied
should the removal not be done in the time specified.
The ordinance was passed unanimously by council members at a meeting
held last month.
“For the last few years, residents have been coming to council
meetings complaining about graffiti in town,” Councilman Stanley Drwal
said. “I noticed that it’s become more and more of a problem not only
in this town, but in other towns.”
Drwal said he began researching the issue.
“In California, they found that if you let it grow and get out of
control, it not only ruins the neighborhood, but lowers the property
values and eventually makes law abiding people feel like the trouble
makers are taking control of the area. As it spreads, you see more and
more crime. The average law abiding citizens become afraid.”
The council also looked into other ordinances and “took the best and
copied it,” he said.
Although the borough was able to prosecute offenders under vandalism
and trespassing laws, he said, a more coordinated program needed to be
put in place.
“The new ordinance is a three-part procedure to make graffiti go
away,” he said. “The first is arrests, and then you have to prosecute
with harsh penalties. The third is a cleanup format. The ordinance
clarifies the amount of time given to clean up the graffiti and the
steps that will be taken if clean up is not done within a timely
manner.”
The cleanup must be done within 30 days, or the borough will step in
and do the clean up, Drwal said.
“If the criminal is caught, the cost of the clean up would be his
responsibility on top of the fine,” he said. “If the criminal is not
caught, the clean up costs will be passed on to the property owner.
Once graffiti artists realize they’ll get nothing out of it because of
the heavy fines and quick clean up, they’ll keep out of Sayreville.”
The borough is currently working on a plan to set up a special fund in
which the fines collected for the crime would be used to help offset
the cost of the cleanup for the property owner, he said.
Drwal said some public buildings, schools and building around the Main
Street area have been the targets of graffiti.
For the last several years, the borough has been cracking down on
street crimes, such as graffiti, Drwal said.
In February, two Parlin men admitted to a graffiti spree throughout
Sayreville that goes back at least 16 months prior to their arrest in
February. Their targets included public and private properties, police
have said.
“The first two parts of the plan — the arrests and stiff penalties –
have been working for us for awhile,” the councilman said. “We just
needed to finish the last part, the timely cleanup of the graffiti.”
Earlier this year, the borough also purchased a water-based cleaning
machine — called the Farrow System — that strips the graffiti
without damaging the underlying surface.
Susan Loyer: 732-565-7243; sloyer@MyCentralJersey.com
Here’s a follow-up editorial from CentralJersey.com:
CentralJersey.com
December 1, 2008
Editorial: Sayreville cleans up by making vandals pay
Sayreville isn’t the only Central Jersey municipality plagued by
graffiti, but it is doing more than most to erase the eyesore.
After careful consideration, borough officials have enacted an
ordinance that attempts to discourage graffiti vandals by imposing
heavy fines for their handiwork. Not simply a matter of trying to
scare off those who deface property, the ordinance also provides for
the timely cleanup of properties.
The rules aren’t perfect: Graffiti offenders, who often work in
secrecy under the cover of night, are difficult to apprehend.
Meantime, there is something inherently unfair about punishing the
victims of this type of vandalism by forcing them to bear the costs of
the crime.
Still, Sayreville’s ordinance is pointed in the right direction by
imposing heavy penalties on those who are caught, a serious
disincentive. Plus, the rules attempt to achieve some measure of
equity by using those dollars collected from the guilty to build a
fund the borough will use to help those businesses hit by vandals to
pay for cleanup.
Besides, everyone wins when graffiti is gone: Storefronts are likely
to draw more traffic when their exteriors are inviting and kept clean;
property values tend to be higher when neighborhoods aren’t a palettte
for neon spray paint, and towns themselves tend to generate higher
returns for commerce and land when those communities are pleasant,
welcoming places to sink down roots or merely to visit.
There’s the crime factor, too — or, to be more accurate, the
perception created by out-of-control graffiti that crime just might be
a problem.
As Councilman Stanley Drawl put it so well: “As (graffiti) spreads,
you see more and more crime. The average law-abiding citizens become
afraid.”
That’s especially true when public places are the main targets.
Sayreville has seen graffiti vandals mark up schools and other
government buildings around the Main Street area. Passers-by no doubt
figure that if the borough can’t protect its own properties, how is it
able to guard homes? That’s an image problem that no town wants.
As a matter of practice, Sayreville’s ordinance starts with arrests,
followed up by stiff prosecution. Finally, it requires property
cleanup within 30 days.
“If the criminal is caught, the cost of the cleanup would be his
responsibility on top of the fines,” Drawl said. “If the criminal is
not caught, the cleanup cost will be passed on to the… owner.”
And that’s where the borough’s fund, financed by those penalties,
comes in.
For the initiative to work, Sayreville police will have to be on top
of their game, as must residents. Vigilance by both is the only way
for offenders to be caught, for those who are responsible to pay for
their crimes, and for everyone’s property to be protected.
Otherwise, it’s the good citizens who will pay the price, not only by
exposure to this unsightly garbage, but out of the bottom of their own
wallets. Best of luck. Sayreville’s assault on graffiti looks to have
promise if it is aggressively pursued.