From Hanford Sentinel.

The Kings County Probation Department is preparing to relaunch its graffiti removal program by the end of October, offering local youth a chance to give back to their community while fulfilling court-ordered service hours.

The program’s revival comes just in time, as the City of Hanford has recently discussed removing the citation process while maintaining the abatement requirements for graffiti on private property.

Mandeep Bhangoo, the Division Manager for Juvenile Services at Kings County Probation, said the participants in the graffiti removal program get an opportunity to meet their mandated obligations while connecting to the community. The county’s program teaches participants painting techniques, the safe use of painting equipment, and proper methods for covering graffiti. 

Funded through the Crime Prevention Act of 2000, the program is designed as a lower-level intervention for youth at low risk of reoffending, minimizing exposure to higher-risk individuals. Bhangoo said every youth under probation supervision is allowed to take part in the program if they choose to.

“The program’s goal is to restore community pride by removing graffiti quickly and give youth a chance to turn their court-ordered service into something positive,” said Bhangoo. “For the community, it means cleaner, safer neighborhoods. For the participants, it’s hands-on training, accountability, and a chance to build skills in a structured setting.”

Kings County residents can request graffiti removal through the program after creating an account on the probation department’s website and submitting the provided service request form. Registered users can also track their requests online once submitted.

Bhangoo said the program provides relief to both the community and the youth participants, but is currently not in service as the department faces challenges in staffing. Probation is working to fill the positions needed to run the program, Bhangoo confirmed, as re-establishing the program is a department priority. 

“Despite this, we are committed to addressing graffiti removal requests submitted through the online portal and are doing our best to ensure residents of Kings County continue to feel safe and supported,” said Bhangoo. “We are actively working toward bringing the graffiti removal program back into operation. While an exact date has not yet been set, our goal is to have the program running again by the end of October.”

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