Fayetteville police reported a sharp decrease in graffiti at previously targeted locations, often following the installation of murals or other artwork.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — According to Fayetteville Police, murals and other community-supported artwork are doing more than brightening the city — they’re helping reduce graffiti.
From utility boxes to park buildings and trail crossings, the department has seen a noticeable drop in graffiti where public art has been installed.
Locations like the wall along Nelson Hackett Boulevard, the pump station building at Poplar Street, and the trail crossing were once common targets for graffiti. Now, police say those areas are seeing fewer incidents.
“There’s no telling, really, why people choose to deface other people’s property,” said Sgt. Stephen Mauk with the Fayetteville Police Department. “You do see it in public locations … locations that can be seen by the motoring public, pedestrians on trails and parks, and when we do see artists put a really nice mural or piece of art on a location, I think that there is a reluctance by people who maybe are tagging for artistic purposes to go and deface that artist’s work that’s something that they’ve really worked hard on.”
Mauk said the success of public art as a deterrent is seen in communities across the nation.
“It’s really a nationwide endeavor through Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design,” Mauk said. “… It’s not just here locally that we see this help. It actually helps nationally.”
Mauk said the department plans to continue partnering with local artists, community groups and city departments to bring more artwork to areas that have been common targets for vandalism, blending crime prevention with community expression.
“In working through the city with the Parks Department and the other elements of the community, and the city [enlisting] the help of artists, particularly local artists, and with community input on what should be put there, we’ve seen that really have a dramatic decrease in the amounts of graffiti,” Mauk said.
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