Street signs disappeared from intersections all over town last weekend and thieves also stole four stop signs, according to police.
Officers placed temporary stop signs, normally used at intersections with traffic lights during blackouts, at the latter intersections as a safety measure. But in one case, Sgt. John Butler said temporary stop signs at East Village Road and Webb Circle were also stolen.
"Whether it's a prank or a scavenger hunt, it becomes a safety hazard," Butler said Monday.
Aside from the potential for motor vehicle accidents caused by cars blowing through intersections that should have stop signs, Butler said fire engines looking for street signs on the way to a fire, ambulances speeding to medical calls and police cars going to calls could have delayed response times.
"Now we have the expense of replacing the signs and the temporary signs," Butler said, "so it becomes a monetary issue too."
Parks & Recreation Dir. Douglas Arndt said each sign will cost about $150 to replace.
Butler said the sign thefts occured Friday night into Saturday morning and Saturday night into Sunday morning. In all cases, he said nobody in the neighborhoods reported seeing anything.
Street signs were missing from the intersections of:
- Hannah Lane and Cutlers Farm Road
- Hawley Lane and Cutlers Farm Road
- Jockey Hollow Road and Pepper Street
- Hayes Street and Stanley Road
- Kimberly Drive and Wells Road
- Forest Road and Glenbrook Drive
- Cutlers Farm Road and Aspetuck Lane
Stop signs were stolen from the intersections of:
- East Village Road and Barn Hill Road
- East Village Road and Monroe Turnpike
- Webb Circle and East Village Road
- Richards Drive and Jays Road
Police ask anyone with information on the stolen signs to call the main number at (203) 261-3622. Butler said tips may be anonymous.
