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Safe Parks are Healthy for the Community

Safe Parks are Healthy for the Community

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Parks are an invaluable asset to all communities.  Communities with well maintained parks are thriving communities of healthy people.  Parks increase the community’s physical activities and interaction.  Parks are also known to reduce stress even if one only sits at a park bench.

For a park to provide what the community needs there are certain aspects to take into consideration.  Several characteristics that can negatively impact a park is crime, the suggestion of crime, or the suggestion of gang activity such as graffiti.  Graffiti and vandalism not only change the esthetic look of the park, it changes the feel of a park and the park is no longer inviting.

Here are some suggestions to combat the negative behavior that impacts your park:

  • Make sure there is adequate lighting
  • Create activities and programs that involve the community
  • Have Site Managers
  • Have walking routes
  • Display Maps at entrances and walk routes
  • Have Security Measures in place, such as Graffiti Cameras and patrolling officers
  • Clean up all vandalism and graffiti immediately
  • Maintain safety measures for the park and all park equipment

The NRPA has a tool to help communities evaluate their parks.  This NRPA site provides interactive tools like custom reports on value and budgets and presents data and key insights.   It would be beneficial for your parks department to look at the tools provided and use what will enhance your agency’s performance.

Keep your Park safe for a healthy community!

#ParksAndRecreation #graffiti #novandalism #publicworks #deterrence #police

Graffiti and Vandalism Cause Fear Among the Community

Graffiti and Vandalism Cause Fear Among the Community

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Within a neighborhood, people expect to feel safe. Going to the store or the park with the family should not be a time of worry and feeling unsafe and vulnerable. Unfortunately, communities have the problem of graffiti and vandalism which causes citizens to fear their very own community.

There are many reasons why people might fear their community. One of the major reasons citizens are starting to fear their community is due to the increasing numbers of graffiti and vandalism crimes. These types of crimes are on the rise and they are causing fear that worse crimes are lurking in the shadows. When cities are covered with graffiti and other kinds of vandalism it gives the citizens a feeling of neglect, and that the crimes in the city are not being monitored and laws are not being enforced. According to statistics, “vandalism and other signs of physical deterioration are often taken as signs of other social problems, which in turn leads to fear within the society”. If these nuisance crimes aren’t taken care of, then people will continue to live in fear and not able to enjoy the parks and other community features the city has worked so hard to provide.

How can these crimes be limited?

  • Community participation:

When someone sees an act of graffiti or vandalism occurring, they should report it.  This is called Community Policing, which is very effective in helping the police force or park rangers curb nuisance crimes.

Crime Deterrent Cameras, which are different from traditional surveillance cameras, are essential tools to stop vandalism and graffiti before it happens.

How to Solve the Graffiti Problem

How to Solve the Graffiti Problem

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Graffiti is a community problem affecting people from all walks of life.   Nuisance crimes are a problem for all cities varying in the crimes and magnitude.  Unfortunately, graffiti causes residential and business property values to be less, invites more crime, and increases urban decay.  So, what is a community to do?

The United States Department of Justice printed a pdf defining Community Policing.  In the pdf, problem solving is:

  • Scanning: Identifying and prioritizing problems
  • Analysis: Researching what is known about the problem
  • Response: Developing solutions to bring about lasting reductions in the number and extent of problems
  • Assessment: Evaluating the success of the responses
  • Using the crime triangle to focus on immediate conditions (victim/offender/location)

Once the community has identified the area or “hot spot” of graffiti, a solution to stop or deter the graffiti is the next step.  Perpetrators are dangerous so this can be tricky.  How can the community get involved but not be put at risk to gang members or violent individuals?  The best way to approach this problem is to report the area to the neighborhood enforcement agency.  Community policing requires a partnership for example between the community, public works and the police. Some communities even have volunteers for this type of crime and the support of non-profit organizations or private business.  The key is the partnership.  The law enforcement agencies are much more effective in a city where they have the help and partnership from the community.

Preventative measures should include:

  • Bright lights, which shine in the shadows
  • Legislation with high penalties
  • Community service for perpetrators
  • Using social media to ask the community for help
  • Using social media to spread the word and advertise the penalties
  • Using anti-graffiti cameras to stop and deter
Behavior Modification Stops Graffiti

Behavior Modification Stops Graffiti

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Graffiti is a problem affecting many cities throughout the world. The defacement of both public and private property due to instances of graffiti, is one of the most common forms of vandalism. In most cases, graffiti is a means by which a gang displays their operating area, most often as a warning to rival gang’s to stay out. This type of gang-graffiti causes further recurrences of the crime as it invites rival gangs to display their warnings over the previous criminal’s display.

Complete abatement of gang-related graffiti is hard to accomplish as the tenacious character of gang-member attitudes are difficult to suppress. It is here that exists a never-ending cycle of repetitive graffiti cleanup, only to see the newly cleaned area fall victim to further instances of graffiti. Despite many regions in the U.S. enacting new legislation to help deal with the crime of graffiti, stiffer fines and harsher punishments have done little in the way of preventing this vandalism from occurring.

Another popular form of graffiti falls under the misdirected perception of “street” or “urban” art. While many of these artists can show varying degrees of talent, their acts are still a crime when committed without property owners’ permission.

Apart from gang-related graffiti and “street artist” graffiti, defacing property is also a crime of vandalism. Writing one’s name or drawing on a restroom stall is considered graffiti. The type of behavior that leads to this criminal act is often said to be due to boredom or an acting-out because of anger, contributing to delinquency. Behavior modification systems, such as after-school programs or regular therapy, can often show a reduction in instances of delinquent behavior.

The sudden interruption of an individual committing the crime of graffiti can lead to a transition in attitude when the individual is allowed to reflect on the consequences of their negative behavior. The graffiti camera employs on-board technology that stops the crime from being committed. The interruption of those committing the crime of graffiti, due to the graffiti camera, modifies the behavior of the individual previously engaged in the act. It is time to re-think how you are stopping graffiti.