Numerous Street Signs Stolen, Vandalized in Wayland

The is investigating a rash of vandalism and thefts of street signs throughout the Town of Wayland.

In several cases, it’s not just the signs themselves, but also the poles to which they were attached that have been taken.

“I’ve never seen it like this,” said Police Chief Robert Irving. “I’ve seen cases where the individual signs are stolen off the pole. I’ve never seen a case where the signposts and signs go missing.

“The bad part about that is that you may not even notice that it’s gone,” Irving continued, explaining that at least half a dozen signs are now missing, but that is only an estimate since the poles, the best evidence a sign is gone, have been taken in several cases.

For example, Irving said he only noticed a 25 Mile Per Hour speed limit sign was missing from Draper Road because police recently set up a speed zone there and the 25 MPH sign was fairly new.

“We really need the public to help us on something like this,” Irving stressed. “We need residents to see something and call us right away.”

Stephen Kadlik, director of for Wayland, said it appears that several of the sign poles have been cut, rather than removed from the ground. He said someone with a sawzall could remove the posts in five or 10 minutes and, in pieces, the posts could be easily transported in a car rather than a pickup truck or other large vehicle.

“I tend to think that most of this is more theft than vandalism,” Irving said. “We really have to look at tightening up our laws regarding the sale of stuff to scrap dealers, and that the scrap dealers are being responsible.”

In addition to speed limit signs, Irving said street name signs, stop signs and even student drop-off signs at Claypit Hill have been reported missing. In addition to those that are missing, several signs have been knocked down, like a few on West Plain, or vandalized.

Kadlik said he received calls Monday morning reporting “very inappropriate” graffiti on four stop signs. He pulled a highway crew off its designated job to go to Woodridge Road and remove a stop sign right away so that kids wouldn’t see what had been painted on it, he said.

“You scratch your head and ask why,” Kadlik said, adding that the Highway Department often sees a bump in street sign thefts and vandalism during the spring and fall, but “not as bad as this.”

Kadlik said each green U-channel pole, like those used for traffic signs, costs $17 to replace, and the signs themselves cost between $35 and $75, and those costs do not include the labor involved in replacing street signs. Wayland has its own sign-making facility that can create some signs, but cannot produce its own stop signs because of the shape.

“The ones that disturb me the most are stop signs,” Kadlik said, noting the potential danger of a missing stop sign at an intersection. “We replace stop signs right away.”

According to a police press release, signs on Draper Road, Adams Lane, West Plain Street, French Avenue, Loker Street and Commonwealth Road have been reported damaged or missing.

“If it’s not an orange truck at that sign, it’s somebody [other than the Highway Department],” Kadlik said. “Call it in.”

Police are asking residents to report any suspicious activity related to street signs as well as to report any signs that have gone missing.