Ottumwa Police Department Lt. Jim Clark agreed that vandalism endangering public safety is taken seriously by he and fellow officers.

If vandals are caught, it usually happens in one of two ways.

The first is an officer sees the incident.

“Or someone let’s us know, and we’ll go check damage to the vehicle,” Clark said.

Then, charges can be pursued.

Lewis feels the tire tracks make what happened clear to him.

“They swerved up over the curb, ran over the sign, then back onto the street. Then they’d do it again,” he said.

When it comes to safety, both public works and the OPD understand how important traffic signs are, said Stevens.

“If the police department calls us and tells us there’s a sign down, we respond immediately, night or day, to protect the citizens,” he said. “We don’t want a citizen to have an auto accident because there’s no sign where it should be.”

This isn’t the first time vandals have destroyed a traffic sign, Stevens said.

“Vandalism probably costs us $2,000 to $3,000 a year. To me, that is very minor compared to [potential] loss of life.”

Clark added that anyone with any information regarding sign vandalism should call (641) 683-0661.

Mark Newman can be reached at 683-5358 or by e-mail at mgnewman@mchsi.com.

Missing signs put lives in danger