Las Vegas NowCounty Forms Southern Nevada Graffiti Coalition

County Forms Southern Nevada Graffiti Coalition

You can find graffiti almost anywhere -- on meters, walls, light poles and even trees. But now the county has formed a coalition to take on graffiti vandals.

Darryn Kressler works for Clark County Public Works. He has one job to paint over graffiti everyday. "It's pretty much everywhere." he said. There's so much graffiti, it doesn't even phase Kressler anymore.

The county estimates they spend over $3 million a year on paint, labor and supplies to clean up graffiti around the valley. Last year, they had nearly 8,000 graffiti complaints.

Russell Davis said, "Graffiti is horrible in this city." That is why Davis has formed the Southern Nevada Graffiti Coalition.

On Monday, Davis and his crew were painting over the walls along Sahara and Maryland Pkwy. Davis believes if gang members leave their marks on those walls again, they'll know whose doing it. "We know that it's a nice clean slate, and that we know whose doing it. We can start identifying those taggers and start arresting them."

The coalition is comprised of law enforcement from North Las Vegas all the way to Henderson. Public Works has agreed to paint the county's walls and washes. NDOT takes care of the freeways.

Davis said, "If you look at the mentality of these taggers, they like to hit the freeways because they call it their fame areas. Taking that away from them will push them out into the open."

Darryn Kressler hopes they get caught red-handed. It will make his job a little easier. "It's just a billboard for these kids. A place to leave their mark and I just don't get it myself."

The coalition's clean up crew painted nearly 100 walls in Vegas Manor on Monday including a number of graffiti spots in the Joe Shong Park.

Clark County Public Works crews say they go through 24 five-gallon buckets of paint everyday just to paint over graffiti.

Email reporter Tedd Florendo at tflorendo@klastv.com