Is grafitti art or vandalism? It can be as simple as a few words or images sprayed or scrawled on a surface, like a fence or a wall (or a building, which makes people quite unhappy). It can be complex as full color, elaborate murals. The debate rages on the art versus vandalism question, but one form of graffiti is generally agreed to be more dangerous than the rest: gang tagging or gang graffiti.

Gang tagging is when someone marks a place with some sort of image or word that indicates gang territory, fights between rivals or collaborations, or as a way of marketing street drugs. It can mean that you’re in the cross hairs of danger. Plus it’s ugly and makes a neighborhood look trashy.

Many police departments offer graffiti control programs–check with your city to see if they can provide you with more information on how to prevent graffiti vandalism. Here are our tips.

How can you keep graffiti out of your neighborhood?
* Call your local police or sheriff and report all vandalism.
* Remove or paint over any graffiti on your property right away after taking a pictures of it.
* Educate your child about this crime.
* Help neighbors in graffiti removal.

For Business Owners
* Protect spray paint from theft–consider locking the up. And remember not to sell them to minors.
* Place signs in the spray paint area about the penalties for graffiti vandalism.
* Keep spray paint displays in an area that is easily seen by employees.

How to Remove Graffiti
* Keep matching paint on hand so you can cover it right away.
* For glass or previously painted metal surfaces, use MEK (methylethyl ketone) to remove graffiti.
* Ask your local hardware store for other graffiti removal products for glass, unpainted metal surfaces, brick, and cinder block.

What if You See a Tagger in Action?
* DO NOT speak to or attempt to stop the person.
* Get a good description of the person and get a license plate number if possible for police.
* Call 911 to report a vandalism-in-process.

Most folks don’t realize it, but one of the most effective crime deterrents is a little piece of metal. A Monitronics yard sign let’s criminals know that your home or business is protected 24/7 by our award-winning central station.

Some people buy fake signs on the Internet, hoping for some protection that way, but bad guys visit the same sites you do and know which signs are real and which ones are pseudo. Monitronics has been around for 15 years and is a known player in the industry. Our signs mean business.

Criminals look for easy marks and your monitored alarm system let’s them know your place is off limits. You’re a harder target. To get the most out of your yard sign, remember these things:

1. Replace old signs with new, highly visible ones.2.The effectiveness of the security yard sign depends on its placement: put it next to your front door, the curb next to the driveway, a flower bed, or by the garage door.

3. Get some Moni security stickers and place them on windows and other doors around the premises.

If you need a new yard sign, call customer service at 800-447-9239 and we’ll send you one right away.

There are loads of security companies out there clamoring for your business. How do you cut through the clutter and find the best fit and price? Obviously, we’re a little biased when we say this, but we think Monitronics is the way to go for residential or business security systems. Here’s a checklist for how to pick a security company and a bit about how Moni measures up.

Security
You want to know that your company is watching your premises at all times. Is the monitoring central station 24/7? Are they Five-Diamond Certified? We are both.

Response
How fast can the company respond to your alarm? Every second matters in an emergency. In 2009, our average response time was 22.1 seconds.

Trust
Who are you letting in your door? Are they well-trained and vetted? Our Monitronics authorized dealers go through background checks and are experts at security assessments and installations. They know how to customize a security system to fit your needs.

Guarantee
What happens if you have a problem with your system down the road? What’s the policy on fixing it? Monitronics’ lifetime service guarantee is great insurance. Generally speaking, it covers the parts and labor on your system with a reasonable deductible for any service request.

Convenience
With an online MyMonitronics account, you can pay your bill, update emergency contacts, test your system, and more.

Portability
Will your company relocate your home alarm system for free? We will!

Since 1994, we’ve been earning the trust of our customers through our proven performance and customer service. Let us prove ourselves to you.  Visit us online and we’ll connect you with a Monitronics authorized dealer in your area. If you prefer to call, you can reach us by phone at 800-290-0709.