Cleaning Up Graffiti
Do you ever have the knack of noticing that one tiny detail nobody else notices or even pays attention to?
That’s usually how it is with me and graffiti. It’s the one thing I have no problem noticing. I didn’t used to pay that much attention to graffiti.
But, now that I work at the police department and am tasked with cleaning it up as part of my job, I notice it a lot more. Now that the summer season is here, it will be on my mind a lot more.
The City of Idaho Falls is fortunate compared to other Idaho cities. City officials a few years ago recognized the problems that come with graffiti and enacted an ordinance requiring it to be cleaned up as soon as possible – whether by the property owner or IFPD volunteers.
It certainly makes a difference within our community despite that sometimes it can be difficult to get it cleaned up in a timely fashion or resources can be limited.
Yet, the real attribute that comes from this city ordinance really comes from how it enables residents to take ownership in Idaho Falls. Over the years, Idaho Falls has had many volunteers throughout the community come forward and participate in a clean-up project.
Just yesterday, I had a call from the Bonneville Youth Development Council looking for a graffiti clean-up project. Those kids did a great job and certainly made a positive mark on their community. Just like our other volunteers they really made this a great place to live with just some paint and a brush.
Aside from the volunteers, other community members had done their part by donating supplies and reporting graffiti to the police department. All are important roles in combating the graffiti problem.
I encourage everyone to get involved with the efforts to stop and clean-up graffiti.