Graffiti

Report Graffiti Promptly

There are many reasons why graffiti goes unreported:

• Residents assume that the graffiti has already been reported
• Residents are too busy to report graffiti
• Residents think that reporting graffiti takes too much time, or it is too difficult
• Residents fear that gangs will retaliate if they report graffiti

Reporting graffiti is safe and CONFIDENTIAL

When residents report graffiti to the 311 Call Center, either by phone or through the mobile application, all calls are anonymous. The residents obligation and responsibility ends with reporting. The City will not contact the resident for court appearances or to identify the tagger. The tagger will not know the resident reported the graffiti, only that the graffiti was removed.

Did you know? Over 80 percent of graffiti is "tagger" graffiti done by individuals or tagging crews who vandalize to establish notoriety or fame. Less than 10 percent of graffiti is gang related. Gang graffiti is territorial, typically done to warn or threaten other gangs and the community.

Never assume graffiti has been reported.

Most graffiti vandalism goes unreported. Vandalism that is left in public view for days, or even weeks, contributes to the decline of the neighborhood and draws more crime to the area. Graffiti that is removed within 72 hours has a nearly zero chance of reoccurrence. When residents report graffiti in the City of Riverside, the vandalism is removed within 24 hours. Reporting is necessary for the rapid removal of graffiti vandalism.

Reporting graffiti takes minimal time and effort.

In the City of Riverside, there are two options for residents to report existing graffiti for removal within 24 hours:

• 311 Call Center



Residents may call in using a landline (dial 3-1-1) or mobile phone (dial 826-5311) to report existing graffiti. The phone call takes less than two minutes, and the operator will use the information from your call to generate a service request order for the streets department to clean up the graffiti.

• 311 Mobile Phone Application


Residents may download the application here. The mobile phone application is compatible for smart phone users. Once downloaded, residents may report graffiti quickly from their mobile phone. Residents are able to select graffiti as the type of problem to report, enter a brief description of the graffiti, take a photo and send the information directly to the call center for removal.

How to Report Graffiti

Existing Graffiti
To report existing graffiti for removal contact the 311 Call Center.

Graffiti in Progress
To report graffiti in progress dial 911. If you report information that leads to an arrest, you are eligible for a $1,000 reward!