Three People to Call After You Notice Graffiti at Your Place of Work
As a business owner or manager, realizing that vandals have covered part of your building in graffiti can be a big concern. Graffiti can range from profane words and images to art that you might begrudgingly admit looks good—even if you'd rather not be seeing it on your building. It's common to feel overwhelmed as you stand in front of the graffiti-covered building, but now isn't the time to feel stuck. Instead, it's time to take some quick action—starting with picking up the phone and making a number of important calls. Here are three people to call after an incident of graffiti.
The Police
While you should call the police department's non-emergency line instead of 911, it's important to alert the authorities. Someone has committed a property crime against your building, and you need to file a police report. The police will put varying degrees of effort into investigating the issue and trying to find the culprits. In some cases, they'll launch a wide investigation. In other cases, they may tell you that your issue is important, but admit that it's fairly low on the immediate list of priorities. Regardless, a police report is a critical first step after you notice graffiti on your building.
The Landlord
Given that many businesses don't own their building, your next call should be to the landlord—often a commercial real estate company. You'll need to explain the situation, and it's possible that someone will come out to survey the damage. Or, you may be asked to provide some photos. The landlord will want to have a record of the incident, and you may have some requests about preventing such an issue in the future. For example, you might ask for motion-activated lights or enhanced fencing that would prevent access to the part of your building that is now covered with graffiti.
A Graffiti Removal Company
Reports about the incident are important, but you also need to take steps to get rid of the graffiti. Forget about rolling up your sleeves and trying to scrub it off. Instead, call a graffiti removal company like NYC Power Wash and book a visit with a cleaning technician. The company will usually ask you several questions, and may even have you send some photos that depict the issue. You'll find that graffiti removal companies respond quickly to their customers, so you may see the technician pulling into your lot just a short time after you make the call.