At an upcoming City Council meeting, the city of Las Vegas will be declaring Saturday, June 23, 2007, as the First Annual Las Vegas Graffiti Awareness Day and encouraging citizens to participate in anti-graffiti activities to help in the fight against graffiti vandalism.

Graffiti vandalism has been recognized as the most costly property crime in the city of Las Vegas and southern Nevada. Approximately $30 million in public and private funds are expended annually to address graffiti vandalism in the greater Las Vegas area. The city of Las Vegas has partnered with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Southern Nevada Graffiti Coalition to fight graffiti vandalism in Las Vegas neighborhoods. Numerous programs have been implemented to fight graffiti vandalism in Las Vegas along with effective enforcement tactics and strategies to identify and hold graffiti vandals accountable. Among these strategies is the Crime Stoppers “Turn in a Tagger” program that has resulted in more than 100 graffiti arrests in five months. The “Turn In A Tagger” reward program offers up to $500 for information leading to the arrest of graffiti vandals. Callers can remain anonymous if they call Crime Stoppers of Nevada at (702) 385-5555.

Several clean-ups have been organized throughout the city for Graffiti Awareness Day. A partial list of events is listed below. For more information on these events, including times and locations, or if you would like to organize a graffiti clean-up, contact Lisa Campbell at 229-5406. 

• Youth from the Stupak Community Center, the Downtown Business Operators Council and Gateway District members are volunteering to clean up the Gateway District / Meadows Neighborhood area in Ward 3.

• Beginning at 10 a.m. on June 23, community volunteers will be assisting with clean-up efforts in the Marble Manor area off of Washington Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

• Community volunteers will be assisting with clean-up efforts in a large wash area on the east side of town in Ward 3. The Las Vegas Wash enters Ward 3 just west of the intersection of Owens Avenue and Sandhill Road and travels in a southeasterly direction crossing under Sandhill Road, Lamb Boulevard, Washington Avenue, Bonanza Road and Stewart Avenue until just west of the intersection of Charleston and Nellis boulevards. Vacant lots along the wash at Sandhill, Washington, Bonanza and Stewart will be used as parking/staging areas.

• The Spring Mt. Ranch Homeowners Association in Ward 6 is working with the Crime Stoppers “Turn In A Tagger” program to match rewards for tips in their area.

• City of Las Vegas neighborhood planners will be working with Las Vegas neighborhoods to provide educational opportunities regarding graffiti including classroom instruction on how to report, remove and prevent graffiti. 

Other events are planned throughout the valley. Clark County  is also hosting graffiti clean-ups and the city of North Las Vegas  will be promoting anti-graffiti programs at area businesses. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers will be assisting the different local governments as will volunteers from the Realtor’s association. The Nevada Department of Transportation  is also planning to clean up some of the most-visible graffiti that evening.