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Stealing signs hurts safety
CANFIELD
Street signs are what most people would assume to be permanent fixtures, helping them navigate around town. But those around Canfield Township are disappearing – most commonly ones for Victory Lane and Winners Circle.
Stealing these signs does more than just contribute to cool wall art; it also contributes to crime rates and safety hazards.
Mahoning County Sheriff Maj. Jeffrey Allen said street signs serve a purpose for navigation, and without them, innocent people could pay the ultimate price for what a perpetrator would think is just fun.
“When it comes to safety services – such as fire, police and ambulance – a lot of times we rely on street signs to know where we are. And, if we don’t have one and miss a street because the sign is gone, it takes precious time away from someone who needs us,” Allen said, “That’s something people committing these offenses don’t think about. Imagine if it was your loved one at risk because of a missing sign.”
Stealing street signs is not a new crime.
“It’s been an issue throughout the years. It’s almost like it goes in spurts,” Allen said.
Allen said that when he was growing up, the signs that were stolen were ones resembling someone’s last name or significant other’s name.
“Kids just take them and hang it up in their house,” he said.
Township officials and Allen agree: Sign theft is a crime that is hard to control.
Neither the sheriff’s department nor Canfield Township’s Public Works Department was able to say how many signs are stolen annually.
“The only way to patrol it is, my midnight and afternoon turns keep an eye as close as we can,” Allen said. “It is very hard to catch with so many [signs] throughout the township.”
Fiscal Officer Carmen Heasley said replacement for the township signs is about $60 each.
“The sheriff has the power to convict for the crime, but unfortunately the township gets stuck with the cost,” she said.
Stealing a street sign is a misdemeanor theft offense and is punishable depending on the monetary value of the sign. In addition, perpetrators can be charged with the purchase, possession or sale of a traffic-control device.