Graffiti Buster Program
The Municipality of Anchorage implemented the Graffiti Buster Program in June of 1994. (14.70.100 Graffiti and related vandalism).
When the program began, it was a Volunteer Program that was run by five primary and two alternate municipal employees. In 1995 the municipality hired two temporary employees for the summer months when tagging was at its highest volume.
In September of 1996, the Municipality purchased Graffiti Buster Trailer that would be used to scan the original paint into the computer which would print out the formula for mixing the paint to the exact color. This could be done on site, saving time and money.
In early 1998, it became apparent that we could no longer keep a handle on the extreme number of calls that came into the Graffiti Buster Hotline (343-GONE). At this time we hired one full-time employee to do nothing but graffiti eradication.
To date, the Graffiti Buster Program is still going strong. The average amount of calls taken in a year is anywhere from 600 to 800 calls. There are about two to three hours spent on each call depending on the weather and type of graffiti.
There are now three ways that graffiti can be reported: