New Islip truck quickly targets graffiti

In an effort to combat offensive graffiti, the Town of Islip launched Thursday a new "rapid response" truck to quickly remove hate words, gang symbols and other spray-painted expletives.

"It's going to alleviate graffiti by any means possible," said Councilman Gene Parrington, who has been heading the town's ongoing anti-graffiti campaign. "What we wanted was something that can get up and go."

Last year, the town bought a large, state-of-the-art truck to power-wash and repaint defaced sites. In one year, Parrington said that truck painted more than 117,000 square feet of graffiti.

Officials decided last July to purchase a second truck after the first truck -- for which jobs are scheduled ahead of time -- had to be taken off its regular route to remove a swastika painted on a building in Islip hamlet. The new truck, a smaller orange pickup pulling a trailer of power-washing supplies, will be used for jobs that must be done immediately, Parrington said. In those cases, workers will quickly clean off vulgar words and symbols, and paint over the affected area with basic colors until the original truck can return and match exactly the paint on the wall.

Home Depot donates all supplies for both graffiti removal trucks.

Town officials gathered Thursday at a graffiti-ridden wall in West Islip to unveil the rapid response truck.

"This is common-sense prioritization," said Supervisor Phil Nolan. "Hate symbols have to be removed immediately." He added that officials will work closely with police officers and community members to continue to combat graffiti.

In January 2010, the town passed new graffiti laws that impose strict fines on perpetrators and ban the sale of spray paint to minors at about 30 Islip businesses.

To report graffiti around the Town of Islip, call its graffiti hotline at 631-224-2772. For immediate removal of vulgar graffiti, call Parrington's office at 631-589-0234.