Fresno Graffiti Team working to clean the streets after removing 1.4 million square feet of graffiti in 2018

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- If recent hiring is any indication, the City of Fresno is serious about keeping graffiti around town to a minimum.

The city's "Graffiti Team" grew by four members recently, bringing the total staff to 11, putting them at full capacity as graffiti cleanup continues to be a necessity.

"When people see this, they get real nervous, so this is stuff we definitely want to get rid of as soon as possible," said Frank Martinez, a 13-year veteran of the team.

Martinez says graffiti issues in Fresno were significantly worse when he started, and he credits much of that change to the team.

Fresno residents can also report graffiti more efficiently than ever using the FresGo app. After a resident files a complaint, graffiti team members are notified and dispatched. Once they clean up the area, they post a picture and the citizen is notified of the job completion.

According to the team, 98% of complaints were dealt with in 24 hours or less last year, leading to 1,453,309 square feet of graffiti being removed in 2018 alone.

"We do our best to keep it maintained," Martinez said. "So when people come into our city and pass through, they think it's pretty clean. Fresno gets a bad rap, but it's a good city."