Scores of street signs stolen in Guilderland

GUILDERLAND — Over $5,000 worth of street signs have been stolen throughout Guilderland in the last four weeks.

Between 50 and 60 signs have been stolen off of posts on the street, according to Curtis Cox, captain of the Guilderland Police.

“It is happening at night, and for what purpose, we don’t know,” Cox said. Signs have been taken from all over the town, including in Westmere, Guilderland Center, and Altamont.

“It’s a felony crime because of the amount of money the signs are worth, and the cost of repair and replacement,” said Cox. He said the town is most concerned with potential interruption to emergency response services.

“If you have a police car or an ambulance in the right neighborhood, but it can’t find the street sign, you could have a delay in response time,” Cox said.

Some of the stolen signs were found under the bleachers at Guilderland High School’s football field last weekend, but Cox said the police department does not know whether high school students are responsible for the crime.

“The bleachers could have been just a convenient place to stash them,” he said.

The police department is asking anyone with information to call 356-1501.