ALPINE, Utah — Investigators with the Lone Peak Police Department are trying to figure out who programmed a digital road sign to display a racist message in Alpine.
The sign, in front of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse, was supposed to show details about an alternate route near Canyon Crest Drive. Instead, someone reprogrammed it to display a racial slur targeting Black people.
The message also included the name of a local high school athlete. Police said it's too early in the investigation to know whether there's any connection or if he's a victim.
"This is not something we see in Alpine," said Gordon Oswald, who has lived in the city for 14 years. "These kids today have too much time on their hands. I think it’s probably somebody quite young who did this... If it’s an adult, absolutely I would do something. I don’t know about jail time, but I would do a fine. Maybe even a week in jail? A month in jail? Something! Because this is not right."
Across the country, it has become increasingly easier for people to "hack" into road signs. People sometimes break into the box beneath the sign, bypass the factory-default password, and type their own message.
Sometimes the messages are funny, but still distracting and illegal. In 2009, a hacker in Austin changed road signs to show: "CAUTION! ZOMBIES AHEAD!!!!"
But people in Alpine didn't find this most recent message funny at all. They're worried the acts of one person could reflect poorly on the community.
"I'm coming from church right now. People need to just love each other more," said Dave Garber, who has lived in Alpine for 13 years. "Alpine is an awesome place, and the people here — the community here — definitely that does not reflect how we feel at all."
The Utah Department of Transportation said the sign in Alpine does not belong to them, but they have seen similar problems before. They recommend that construction crews lock each box and give each sign a unique password.
If you have any information about this case, you're asked to call the Lone Peak Police Department.
