Hempstead Town officials pledge to crack down on graffiti

Hempstead Town officials on Monday vowed to crack down on graffiti with stiffer fines and a new effort to help residents report vandalism.

Standing outside Newbridge Road Elementary School in North Bellmore — where they said anti-police graffiti had been scrawled last week — Supervisor Donald X. Clavin Jr. and other officials said they also would ask state lawmakers to make "targeted" graffiti a hate crime.

The town board plans to double fines for graffiti from $5,000 to $10,000 and vandals will be fully prosecuted, Clavin said. Hempstead also plans to create an anti-graffiti task force and establish an email address where residents can report incidents.

“What was being vandalized is bad enough. But what the wording is, is even more troubling,” Clavin said during a news conference, referring to the graffiti at the school. “This is targeted hate at our law enforcement agencies, who are here to protect us and do a good job.”

Clavin said the graffiti at the school is under investigation by police, who are reviewing security camera footage for clues. 

North Bellmore school district officials immediately reported the vandalism last week and removed the graffiti, Clavin said.

Officials said they have received numerous reports recently of vandalism and graffiti, prompting the move to increase penalties.

“There’s a cost associated with cleaning all this stuff up. It’s an added burden. The cowardly act of these individuals to come at a time when there’s no one around ... and then disappear, if they can be pursued and prosecuted, we’re going to do it," Clavin said. "It’s also going to be a doubling the fine to send a real, clear message: If you’re going to do this, then there are going to be ramifications.”

Councilman Chris Carini, a retired NYPD officer, said graffiti “destroys the suburban landscape, ruins the quality of life of our neighborhoods, decreases our home values and shows a breakdown of the rule of law. ... We have to stop this.”

Councilwoman Dorothy L. Goosby said reports of graffiti were disturbing.

“I want to make sure our police officers are safe. … They have families, too,” she said, adding that she hoped the increased fines would be a deterrent. "$10,000 is an awful lot of money."

Clavin said all town board members would be involved in nominating members to serve on the task force. He said the town's objective was to make it easier for residents to report problems as soon as they occur.

“Everybody is part of the task force. It’s not just the people on the letterhead. Every single one of us is on the task force if we want to see the community remain beautiful,” Clavin said.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.