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Adams County partnership credited with sharp drop in Northglenn graffiti reports
Summary
Council received an update on an intergovernmental agreement with Adams County for proactive graffiti abatement; staff reported a marked reduction in CRM reports and described program operations, priorities and hot spots including the skate park and tunnels.
City staff and Adams County crews told council on July 28 that a new intergovernmental agreement to manage graffiti removal has coincided with a substantial drop in resident complaint reports.
"The goal of the graffiti program is to provide a regional approach to graffiti cleanup through proactive patrolling and efficient graffiti response," said Sarah Borgers, Northglenn director of public works. The county team is performing daily patrols and proactive cleanups of known hot spots, Borgers said.
Ryan Dodge of Adams County presented operational data: the city recorded 39 CRM graffiti reports in May (Adams County assistance began that month); staff said that figure fell to eight CRM reports in the most recent comparable month. Dodge told council that his crews concentrated on recurring trouble spots including the skate park at Raines Park, tunnels under Washington and the H line, and utility boxes along trails.
"For a while, [the skate park] was getting hit pretty much nightly," Dodge said. "Now every day that I'm here, I hit those four areas. And I think that's a big reason why the cases have dropped."
Under the IGA, Adams County handles waivers for private property cleanup requests. County crews operate Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays; published response time is five business days, although staff said responses have often been faster. The county documents graffiti with photos before cleaning. City staff said they corrected an early process issue where a CRM was closed before a county crew had completed cleanup.
Council members applauded the results. Council member Jaramillo said she had observed prompt removals in Ward 2; Council member Kondo asked whether taggers observed cleanup and adjusted behavior. Dodge said daily visible removal and frequent presence at hotspots appear to discourage repeat tagging. Borgers said the city and county could ask Adams County to do additional investigatory work on offensive or threatening graffiti at an hourly cost if council wanted that analysis.
A public web map of recent graffiti removals is live, staff said, and will remain available to help residents track activity. No change to the IGA terms was proposed; council received the update and thanked Adams County for the coordinated response.
