Pilferers Pester Work Crews on Simi Freeway

In all his years supervising highway-construction projects, Douglas Moody said, he hasn’t seen anything like it. Motorists along a stretch of the Simi Valley Freeway during the last three months have stolen reflector cones, flashing signs and even a $900 electric generator one night as road crews worked nearby.

In fact, most of the pilfering has occurred at night, under the noses of construction workers. “We can spot them, but at night it’s hard to see who it is,” Moody said.

“One night, somebody stopped their car and took a sign that says the ramp was closed,” said Moody, a superintendent for Griffith Co. He said the rash of thefts has cost the company more than $5,000 in safety and construction equipment.

Griffith, a Long Beach-based construction firm, was hired by the state Department of Transportation to resurface the freeway from Kuehner Drive to 1st Street in Simi Valley. Moody said his crews are also working on freeways in Los Angeles and Orange County where “there is no pilfering to speak of.”

‘Minute School Was Out’

At Simi, the thefts were “more unusual than I’ve seen,” he said, adding, “It seemed to start in June. The minute school was out for summer, it really became a war zone, I tell you.”

More than 150 orange cones, costing $10 apiece, were either stolen or deliberately run over, Moody said. The generator that was stolen had been used to run a 500-watt quartz light.

A $4,000 flashing directional arrow was taken about two weeks ago, but was recovered by Simi Valley Police within two days. No arrests have been made.

Moody said thefts have decreased since school resumed earlier this month. The freeway resurfacing should be complete by the beginning of November, he said.