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Aledo Police offering amnesty to anyone who returns missing street signs

When you drive through Aledo, Illinois, you probably won’t even notice that there’s a problem. Street signs, orange cones and barricades have all go...

When you drive through Aledo, Illinois, you probably won't even notice that there's a problem. Street signs, orange cones and barricades have all gone missing.

"We`ve recovered several stop signs, a bunch of directional signs and I think 119 traffic cones so far," Aledo Police Chief Chris Sullivan said.

It's hard to tell just how many signs have disappeared. It's happened steadily over the past few years, but Chief Sullivan says they've always been quickly replaced. Now, they want those stolen signs back, and are offering a unique incentive.

"We don`t care how they came in possession of them, if you bring the property back to us, no questions asked. We`ll accept the property and everybody is even," Sullivan said.

This amnesty plan is the department's big push to get all the property returned, and they think giving people a chance to avoid charges will be enough.

"We had some kids in town who had some signs. We offered them a chance free of charge and we thought we would apply that to everyone in the community equally," Sullivan said.

Stealing signs may seem like a harmless prank on the surface, but if they go missing, there could really be some serious consequences. People with signs could face anywhere from a citation to a felony theft charge, but the consequences just don't rest on the thief.

"You take down a stop sign and you can create issues that are very dangerous. All of the signs have a purpose. There`s also a financial cost. They`re not cheap. Many of those signs cost anywhere from $70 to $100," Sullivan said.

Their plan is already starting to work with a collection of returned signs already building up. It's their chance to get this lingering theft issue to stop.

The Aledo Police Department is also working with CrimeStoppers to get the signs returned. If a tip leads police to someone with a sign, that person won't get the amnesty option and will face charges.

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