19-year-olds charged after theft of signs in Kingston’s University District

While many street signs were stolen from the University District in downtown Kingston during September and October, three of those signs have now been recovered.

According to Kingston Police, officers have been “been investigating a number of occurrences in regards to the thefts of the street signs this fall” in the University district, which had been “stolen from their posts, posing some significant issues for civilians and first responders alike.”

However, as a result of those investigations, two 19-year-old females were arrested and charged on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, when police found them to be in possession of three street signs in their residence: a Collingwood Street sign, a Frontenac Street sign, and a Mack Street sign.

“Street signs being stolen in the University District is nothing new,” Kingston Police said in a press release on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, noting that this year, however, Kingston Fire and Rescue, Frontenac Paramedic Services, and their own officers all noticed more street signs missing than in previous years.

“And it made their jobs harder,” police said. “Taking a street sign or any other road sign may seem like a prank to some, but these signs serve a purpose and removing one could potentially lead to serious or fatal collisions or could prevent emergency services to attend an emergency where time is of the essence.”

Police also indicated that the theft of street signs carries “a heavy financial burden on the municipality,” and said each sign costs approximately $500 to construct, as well as the cost to reconstruct the signs, and the labour costs associated with installing them.

While the three signs pictured here have been recovered, Kingston Police said that many stolen street signs from the University District remain unaccounted for, and that investigations into the theft of those signs are ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding the theft of street signs or related incidents is asked to contact Detective Constable Andrew Wilby at 613-549-4660 ext. 6217, or via email at [email protected].