Mayor Hahn Announces that 3-1-1 System Plays a Key Role in City's Anti-Graffiti Efforts Through this system, graffiti has been cleaned up in as few as 30 minutes from when it was reported.

September 1, 2004

Los Angeles - Mayor Jim Hahn today announced that more people are able to report graffiti and more graffiti is being cleaned up throughout Los Angeles because of the 3-1-1 system.

“As more and more people realize that 3-1-1 connects them with every city service, the city is being told about more and more graffiti and more and more graffiti is being removed,” Mayor Hahn said. “City government’s number one priority is to improve people’s quality of life, but we can’t help unless people can contact us. That’s why I implemented 3-1-1 – to make it easy for the people of Los Angeles to communicate with their city government.”

Mayor Hahn reported that the city received 25,381 graffiti reports in Fiscal Year 2002-03. Following implementation of the 3-1-1 system, that number increased by one-third, to 35,353 in Fiscal Year 2003-04. That year, the most recent for which statistics are available, city anti-graffiti crews removed 22.9 million square feet of graffiti from 378,992 locations.

Prior to implementation of the 3-1-1 system, Los Angeles residents who wanted to report graffiti had to call a hard-to-find and hard-to-remember telephone number. Just one operator handled graffiti calls between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. with no coverage during the lunch hour. The 3-1-1 system is handled 24 hours a day by live operators who can address any city service.

When graffiti is reported to a 3-1-1 operator, he or she enters the relevant information into a computerized service request system that quickly sends an email to a graffiti removal contractor. Through this system, graffiti has been cleaned up in as few as 30 minutes from when it was reported.

The city’s Graffiti Service Request System was developed by the city’s Information Technology Agency, which also administers the 3-1-1 system.

“The highlight of this system is the fact that callers speak with a live city representative who is trained to provide information or refer calls for service to the correct city agency,” said Thera Bradshaw, interim general manager of the Information Technology Agency. “Our services are provided in English, Spanish, in more than 150 other languages through the use of language translation services, and for the hearing or speech impaired.”

“Operation Clean Sweep has always been a signature program of the Board of Public Works and together with the Mayor’s Office and the 3-1-1 citywide reporting system, it has been able to further increase customer satisfaction by delivering service requests in an even more timely and effective manner,” said Valerie Lynne Shaw, president of the Board of Public Works. Operation Clean Sweep is the city’s comprehensive anti-litter and anti-graffiti program.

3-1-1 is Los Angeles’ easy to remember, citywide toll free number that provides immediate access to city information, every city agency and more than 1,500 non-emergency services.

Calls are answered 24-hours a day, 365 days a year by live operators.

Within the Los Angeles city limits, residents can be connected to this service by dialing 3-1-1 from any residential or business phone. People using cell phones serviced by Nextel, Spring, Cingular or T-Mobile can also access the system by dialing 3-1-1.

Callers outside the City of Los Angeles but within Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside or Orange counties can call 1-866-4LACITY to access the system, as can callers using pay phones or non-participant cell phones. Other callers can access the 3-1-1 system by calling 213-978-3231.

Mayor Hahn implemented the 3-1-1 system in November 2002 to increase the ability of Los Angeles residents to access city government.

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Office of Mayor James K. Hahn
200 North Spring Street, Room 300
Los Angeles, CA 90012

www.lacity.org

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