City Significantly Reducing Time It Takes To Remove Graffiti
Podcast
CHICAGO (CBS) -- City Hall has stepped up the pace of removing graffiti from walls and structures around Chicago.
There was a time when the standard was 10 days for crews to remove graffiti after residents and business owners reported an act of vandalism.
Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Charles Williams said response times have improved significantly.
"When the complaint comes in, it's down within five days; very often, within three days. If it's high, it may take a day or two longer, but within five days the graffiti is removed," he said.
Williams and Mayor Rahm Emanuel were on the Near West Side on Thursday to show off two new graffiti blaster trucks, as crews removed tags from an alley wall.
The commissioner said the budget for graffiti removal has been increased by $1 million, and calls for such service have declined.
