According to Coffee County Sheriff Chad Partin, people stealing road signs in the county has become an increasing problem. Those signs are more than cool things to have, they are important to public safety the sheriff says.
“An ambulance or fire truck may be going to their grandparent house and the road may not be marked,” Partin said.
“It’s a major public safety issue,” Partin said. “And a costly issue too. Those signs are expensive.”
County Highway Department heavy equipment Foreman Joe Joe Dobson said that people have historically stolen signs but that while some counties are reimbursed by the state for signs, Coffee County is on the hook for the cost.
“It’s getting bad. First they’d steal our road signs, then we’d be out working and they’d steal our men working signs and cones,” Dobson said.
Dobson said that people are now using cordless sawzalls to cut the signs at ground level.
These missing signs are expensive. Sign…
