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26 January 2024
KECHI, Kan. (KSNW) — A sign that warned drivers when they were going too fast is missing. The sign was on 101st Street North, east of I-135. The $5,000 sign belongs to the Kechi Police Department, and the police chief wants it back.
Police Chief Braden Moore says someone stole the radar sign, and drivers will end up paying the price through speeding tickets.
The Kechi Police Department radar sign when it was first installed in 2023. (Courtesy Kechi Police Department)
He says the radar sign was a nice way of letting people know when they were speeding. It would show the speed and flash red and blue to alert drivers. Moore says studies have shown that the signs work – drivers slow down.
With the radar sign gone, the chief says speeding tickets are inevitable.
“We have no choice now but to take traffic enforcement action in the areas the sign was posted,” Moore said on social media. “The sign offered free warnings to those who were speeding in those areas. It was nice. A police officer running radar in that same area doesn’t have to give warnings and can write citations.”
Moore told KSN News that the sign was only six months old. Officers placed it on 101st Street to protect the people in the Sunnydale area. There are a lot of walkers along that stretch of road, and Moore says the sign made it a lot safer for the community.
It freed up manhours, allowing officers to work in other areas.
The police chief said some critics thought the sign was recording images and license plates.
“It does not take photos, it is not used for enforcement, it was simply there for you and others to check their speed as they entered an area of reduced posted speed limits,” Moore wrote.
He told KSN the sign only recorded traffic data, such as the number of drivers, peak traffic hours, and the average speed in the area.
Moore’s Facebook post ended with a message for the thief or thieves and the community:
Should the radar sign be returned to its original area of posting, or at the police station…. No questions will be asked.
Should you have information on the whereabouts of our sign and information leading to the location and arrest of those who chose to steal, a reward is waiting for you. Your information will be confidential, nobody will know who you are, and we can close out this case.
To those who stole the sign, you’re better than this.”
Chief Braden Moore, Kechi Police Department