Reactivates Graffiti Hotline and Offers Monetary Award for Reporting & Conviction of Vandalism
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano today announced the re-activation of the City’s graffiti hotline to report the defacing or vandalism of any building structure located within the City of Yonkers. Residents are encouraged to call (914) 377-8077 to report any knowledge they have of graffiti vandalism. If residents see any act of graffiti vandalism in progress, they are urged to call the Yonkers Police non-emergency line at (914) 377-7900.
A reward of no more than $500 per conviction will be awarded to any person providing information leading to the detection, arrest, and conviction of the person guilty of defacing buildings or structures, whether privately or publicly owned.
“Yonkers is a booming City on the rise, and we want to protect its beauty for all its glory, beginning with putting a stop to what reflects poorly on our City — graffiti,” said Mayor Spano. “We will not tolerate it and will make sure those found violating the law are prosecuted to the fullest extent.”
Once the act of vandalism has been reported, the owner or agent of a building or structure which has been defaced by writing, painting, drawing, marking, engraving or other forms of graffiti must restore the building or structure to a graffiti-free condition after receipt of a graffiti condition notice from the Department of Housing and Buildings and the Police Department. The owner or agent will then be required to correct the condition within 48 hours. The failure of an owner to comply may subject the owner to a fine of no more than $250 for each offense.
Those individuals found guilty of graffiti will be charged with a Class II offense. Graffiti violations are classified as either criminal or civil penalties, resulting in fines up to $5000 and even imprisonment for up to 15 days. The graffiti stipulations are part of Section 72 of the Yonkers City Code.
