Graffiti Blasters Take to North Center, Nearby Streets

Five new painters are making their way around the city combatting a widespread graffiti problem that some officials argue should have been remedied long ago.

But graffiti removal slowed down after the city's budget was cut a few years ago, according to reports. Graffiti Blasters is a city program that began in 1993 under Mayor Daley, an ABC News story says.

"The point was to remove the graffiti quickly on private and public property so vandals wouldn't have a chance to put it up again," the publication reports.

In the first four months of 2013, workers have removed nearly 700 incidents of graffiti in North Center alone, according to city data. Among the hardest-hit areas was one near Lincoln Avenue and Irving Park Road.

The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation is responsible for tending to such vandalism and with the five additional painters, staff expect to complete 7,400 more jobs this year.

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"Graffiti vandalism impacts not only the property owner, but the entire community,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, in a statement. “By making smarter use of our resources, we have increased our response to graffiti and are working harder to keep neighborhoods clean and safe for our residents.” 

By reallocating existing Graffiti Removal Program resources, the city added painters while maintaining a program budget level that's even with 2012. About 60 percent of Chicago's graffiti removal requests require paint service, according to Emanuel's office.

The city's department of streets and sanitation implemented grid based reforms within its graffiti program in early 2012 which enabled workers to use resources most efficiently.

In one year, crews have increased their daily productivity by an average of 22 percent, Emanuel has said.

The department currently has 12 blaster crews and 11 paint crews. As of April 30, crews had completed more than 45,700 graffiti removal jobs this year—more than double the number of calls for service received from residents.

“Ensuring residents receive the most efficient and best quality services possible remains our top priority,” Department of Streets and Sanitation commissioner Charles Williams said, in a written statement. “We will continue to assess our Graffiti Removal Program strategies to identify best practices, as well as areas for improvement, as we work to maintain the beauty and vitality of Chicago."

The Graffiti Removal Program employs "blast" trucks that use baking soda under high water pressure to remove painted graffiti from brick, stone and other mineral surfaces.

The program also deploys paint trucks to cover graffiti on surfaces such as metal or wood.

To report graffiti vandalism or obtain information about the Graffiti Removal Program, call 311 or visit the DSS website.