Hempstead Town Stepping Up Anti-Graffiti Measures

HEMPSTEAD TOWN, NY — The Town of Hempstead is trying to crack down on anti-police graffiti by increasing penalties for vandalism, establishing a Graffiti Watch Task Force and trying to get the state to pass legislation that would deem anti-police vandalism as a hate crime, among other measures.

The town announced the new measures on Monday, a few days after Bellmore and Levittown were both targeted with anti-police vandalism.

“Graffiti is not art, it is vandalism,” said Town Supervisor Donald Clavin. “It is destructive, costs taxpayers millions of dollars to remove and it creates the false impression that a community is not safe. What’s more, the recent discovery of graffiti which encourages acts of violence against police will not be tolerated. We are taking strong action to win the war against graffiti in Hempstead Town.”

The Town Board will be discussing legislation to increase the penalties for graffiti at an upcoming meeting. The law would double the penalty for graffiti, from $5,000 to $10,000, which is on top of any fines applied by the court.

Clavin also said the town would try to get the state to adopt legislation that would make anti-police vandalism a hate crime. A hate crime targets a person or group because of a perception or belief about a person or group of people, Clavin said. The Town Board said that the recent graffiti that was found, which included the phrase "kill all cops," targets a group — police officers — based on a bias and/or perception.

“It is disgusting that individuals would target police for acts of violence,” said Councilman Anthony D’Esposito, a former NYPD detective. “The police work tirelessly to safeguard the public; they are community heroes. I will work to secure hate crimes legislation alongside Don Clavin and my colleagues on the Town Board.”

Clavin and Hempstead Town Council Members also announced a Graffiti Watch Task Force, which would be charged with identifying instances of graffiti vandalism, reporting such activity and facilitating the removal of graffiti. The Task Force will be co-chaired by Clavin and Councilman Chris Carini. Each council member would be invited to appoint a community member to the task force.

Individuals who witness graffiti or other vandalism in progress are encouraged to call 911 to report the crime. To report existing graffiti, residents can email the town’s new Graffiti Response Team at stopgraffiti@tohmail.org.

“We take graffiti vandalism seriously,” said Clavin. “By creating a Graffiti Watch Task Force, reporting graffiti vandalism and pursuing hate crimes legislation that targets those graffiti vandals who encourage acts of violence against police, we can help to protect the suburban character of our area and prevent these criminals from putting the lives of police officers in danger.”