Public safety initiative aims to reduce sign theft

As the number of stolen street and construction signs increase, Georgia College & State University public safety officers are offering a grace period for those who have stolen signs.
The plan that public safety has created offers students the opportunity to turn in any stolen signs without a penalty, criminal charge or fine. According to Michelle Rowland, corporal over crime prevention, the number of signs stolen is at a high, and the missing ones range from stop signs to various signs around construction sites. The stolen construction signs have to come out of the school’s budget in order for them to be replaced.
“Instead of charging someone with the crime or giving them fines that can be quite expensive, we are giving anyone with a stolen sign until the end of the semester to turn them in with no penalty at all,” Rowland said. “They can even turn them in anonymously but after this warning period is over, punishments for those found with signs could be severe.”
The type of sign stolen determines the penalty for punishment. If the sign is worth more than $500 the charge would be theft of government property and a state warrant issued. If the sign cost falls under $500, the charge is considered to be criminal trespassing and a state warrant will be issued. Also, the student could face charges brought on by the school as the case would be sent through the student judiciary and the dean of students’ office.
“We just want to give them a chance to turn them in before we find them, have to charge them and this goes on their permanent record, possibly ruining career chances,” Rowland said.
Public safety urges that any student with stolen signs turn them into the public safety office. If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of the stolen signs on campus contact public safety at (478) 445-4054 or the GC&SU housing office at (478) 445-5160.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 21 2003. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry