Mary Rector, assistant E-911/Mapping coordinator, creates a new sign to replace a stolen one from Dew Drop Road.

Theft of 911 road signs is an ongoing problem here

On a recent Thursday afternoon, Assistant E-911/Mapping Coordinator Mary Rector was busy producing new signs for numerous county roads. However, the signs were not for new roads; they were being made to replace signs that were stolen or vandalized.

While recent arrests were made for stealing signs by the Sparta Police Department, that arrest netted only four town signs and eight county signs. According to the county’s sign ordinance, it is a misdemeanor to damage, remove, vandalize or illegally possess road signs, punishable by up to a $500 fine, 30 days in jail or both.

E-911/Mapping Coordinator Wendy Williams noted recently that the sign problem is the worst it has ever been here in the county, a fact that can result in problems for rescue personnel on the way to emergency calls.

“That’s our main concern,” she said. “We worry that an emergency responder could have a problem finding a home where someone is in desperate need of medical attention or where someone’s house is on fire. That’s the main purpose of 911 road signs in the first place. Our main goal is trying to get people help when they need it most.”

She said some people have come in to report signs missing and noted that they are concerned about the ability of emergency crews to find their homes. “We’ve had some people who’ve said they have a heart condition and their signs have been stolen,” she said. “It really worries the older people who may have need of emergency medical care.”

Williams said there are other problems as well, such as visitors having difficulty finding businesses and homes, not to mention the trouble that the fire departments face in replacing the signs and the E-911 department faces in having to re-make them.

“Halloween and graduation are our worst seasons,” said Williams. Some signs are stolen more often than others. Some of the most stolen road signs include Forever Love Lane, Top of the Knob, Edwards Road and Needmore Way.

“I don’t know why anyone would want to steal them,” she said. “I don’t know what they do with them."

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