FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) – Has there been a rise in vandalism in the City of Fayetteville?

The City reports a 14-percent increase in vandalism over the past year. Police said a majority of that vandalism happened over the summer months, a time where people were out of school and outside more.

Police said they encourage people to be good witnesses. If you see something happening in real time, police said it’s important to gather information that can help them. Things like a description of the suspect and what they are wearing, where the graffiti is located and a direction of travel.

When it comes to cleaning up graffiti, police said the city is responsible for cleaning any on city-owned property. They said anything on private property is left to the property owner.

“The city does not have a city ordinance when it comes to cleaning up graffiti on private property,” said Sgt. Anthony Murphy with the Fayetteville Police Department. “That is left to the property owner. We will help assist private property owners if they need help removing graffiti from their property. All they have to do is contact the police department and we will help them in any way we can.”

Murphy encourages private property owners to clean up graffiti quickly. He said if it does not get cleaned up in a timely manner, it tends to lead to even more graffiti.

If there is something in your community that you want to know more about, we want to look into it. You can send your questions to news@KNWA.com.