State discusses ways to cut sign vadalism, theft

The Iowa Department of Transportation helped develop a national workshop on sign vandalism that takes place in Kansas City Tuesday and Wednesday.Iowa D-O-T spokesman Tim Simodynes says vandalism and theft of road signs is a problem nationwide that can have serious consequences. Simodynes says counties and cities also have problems with sign theft and vandalism. He says vandalism and theft costs taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Simodynes says the workshop will include representatives from all across the country who will talk about the issue. The keynote speaker of the conference is a representative of the Florida Attorney General’s Office who successfully prosecuted three Florida residents. They were convicted on manslaughter charges after they stole a traffic sign that led to the death of three teens.