The Reno Police Department is using the “Donald Bin Laden” graffiti on Dickerson Road as an example to explain how the graffiti-removal process works.
From Reno Police Department:
Reno, Nevada (February 22, 2017)— The Reno Police Department (RPD) is using the example of “The Donald Bin Laden” graffiti that recently appeared on the back of the 2245 Dickerson Road building as an opportunity to further educate the public on the graffiti-removal process.
The graffiti was removed this morning, since the owners of the building, REAS Dickerson LLC, contacted the City of Reno previously and requested that it be removed. That action is what initiates the City’s graffiti-removal process, which is outlined below:
How to Report Graffiti
- Anyone who wishes to have graffiti on a building, wall, fence, etc. removed should call Reno Direct at 775-334-4636 (INFO) and tell them the exact location of the graffiti. They can alsosubmit an online service request.
- Property owners who wish to report graffiti should file a police report. They can Start a New Report online or call 775-657-4781.
- However reported, graffiti service requests are forwarded to RPD.
- The appropriate property owner will be asked to sign a waiver, which releases any civil liability for the City.
- A signed waiver allows RPD’s Graffiti Enforcement Team (GET) to abate graffiti on City property and private property (homes and businesses). GET only removes graffiti that is below 15 feet in height and accessible from the public right-of-way.
- If a property owner refuses to sign a waiver, then RPD’s graffiti unit will not abate, but this is a rare occurrence.
Unauthorized graffiti is illegal, no matter what message is contained in the graffiti.
In the case of “The Donald Bin Laden” graffiti, the City treated it like any standard graffiti-removal situation. REAS Dickerson LLC followed the process and signed a waiver. GET worked with representatives of REAS Dickerson LLC and the Union Pacific railroad to gain access to the property in order to complete the abatement (paint over the graffiti).
“I'm proud of what the GET unit has accomplished since it was re-established in 2015,” Reno Police Chief Jason Soto said. “The City Council-appointed Anti-Graffiti Task Force recommended that we reinstitute the unit in 2014, and we have been hard at work since combating one of our City’s major crime challenges.”
Visit RenoPD.com for more information on how to File a Report. Citizens can also download the myRPD app at .
Definition of Graffiti
Per Nevada Revised Statutes, graffiti is defined as follows: Any unauthorized inscription, word, figure or design that is marked, etched, scratched, drawn, painted on or affixed to the public or private property, real or personal...which defaces such property. [Reference NRS 268.4075]
About the Graffiti Enforcement Team (GET)
GET works with multiple regional partners and has become a national model for graffiti enforcement and abatement, receiving multiple best-practice inquiries from agencies from around the country. In 2015, GET staffing was increased due to Council priority and recommendations from the Anti-Graffiti Task Force.
GET now has one detective assigned to investigations, two full-time abatement employees and one full-time coordinator who tracks reported graffiti. The goal of GET is to remove reported graffiti within 24 to 48 hours.
Sergeant Andy Carter, who supervises the GET unit, said he welcomes community input on graffiti issues and abatement. He can be reached at 775-657-4807.
