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West-side business owner says repeated graffiti draws inconsistent city response; requests police follow-up
Summary
A business owner who said her company was repeatedly vandalized urged the council to clarify enforcement and reporting processes after receiving only code-enforcement notices rather than police reports for insurance purposes.
A business owner told the Pocatello City Council that her small-business property on the west side of town, an area she said police refer to as “Felony Flats,” has been repeatedly vandalized by graffiti and that city responses have been inconsistent.
Christy Lewis described multiple graffiti incidents over a single week and said that when she reported the vandalism online, she received a code-enforcement notice requiring cleanup or a fine rather than a police report she could provide to her insurer. Lewis said her employer has been in the neighborhood for decades and described the graffiti as costly to remove; she said the building was tagged again multiple times after the initial report.
Council members asked whether police could make contact and whether the owner or manager (Stan Thieberg) should be reached; the mayor offered to have police department staff follow up and asked staff to have an officer contact the business the next day. Lewis said she had gone to the police station earlier in the week but that initial reporting had been redirected to an online graffiti-reporting process.
No formal council action was taken; the mayor directed staff to have the police department contact Lewis and coordinate on reporting and enforcement distinctions between graffiti and vandalism.
