Minneapolis and University police joined forces early Thursday morning to catch two men after they allegedly stole traffic signs from outside the Oak Street Ramp.
An area resident called police after seeing the men unscrewing the signs from their posts near the intersection of Essex and Ontario streets.
Minneapolis police caught one man and the University Police caught the other after a foot chase. Both of the suspects are believed to be University students.
The men were sent to the Hennepin County Jail and booked on misdemeanor theft charges.
Minneapolis Police Lt. Steve Kincaid said traffic sign removal poses serious safety issues, but the charges are based on the property value.
The two “Stop” signs and one “Do Not Enter” sign are valued at $142. The labor costs of replacing the signs is $80, according to the police report.
“Those souvenirs are probably more common than we know,” Kincaid said. “In this case, we happened to catch a couple of kids in the act.”

In other police news:
ù University men’s tennis coach David Geatz reported Wednesday the theft of a laptop computer from his office in the Bierman athletic building. The computer was valued at $1,200.
Geatz said he might have left his office unlocked.
University Police have no leads in the theft, but Lt. Rick Giese said the department will enter the laptop’s serial number into a National Crime Information Center database and also check pawn shops.
ù University Police picked up two men drinking on the roof of Folwell Hall early Saturday morning. The 20-year-old student and his 19-year-old companion will face charges of consumption of alcohol by a minor.

Robert Koch covers police and courts and welcomes comments at [email protected].