Kepert Creates Anti Graffiti Task Force

Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Connie Kepert has created an anti-graffiti committee to help deter the rapid cost of vandalism cleanup in the Town, which is estimated at about $200,000 a year.

“If graffiti is allowed to remain, it sends the message that no one cares about a community, or neighborhood and becomes an open invitation for more graffiti, littering, and crime,” Kepert said in a statement. “Graffiti hurts property values and frightens away businesses. The best way to prevent graffiti is to remove it as fast as possible.”

"I have made the investigation and prosecution of quality of life offenses a cornerstone of my administration,” added Town Supervisor Mark Lesko, who was a co-sponsor of the resolution. “The eradication of graffiti goes hand-in-hand with those efforts. I commend Councilwoman Kepert for her initiative on this issue and I look forward to the recommendations from the task force on how to combat these types of public eyesores."

It’s the committee’s charge to clean up, prevent and educate members of the community about vandalism.

According to a document issued by the Town, the committee encourages citizens to report any vandalism via graffiti directly to the Town. Brookhaven is looking for support from Suffolk County Police to monitor locations that are frequently hit, and is even asking community members to create productive paint-brush murals if it means stopping the other defiling kind of street art.

“Graffiti vandals rarely tag a paint-brush mural, and they are a great way to get the community involved in graffiti prevention,” the Town said in a statement. “Murals can involve local artists, youth and community volunteers, and the local paint store, which may be willing to donate paint and brushes.”

Brookhaven will also create public service announcements and launch education programs using the Graffiti Hurts curriculum in classrooms.