(1) Except as provided in Subsection (3), a person may not alter, deface, damage, knock down, or remove any:
(a) traffic-control device;
(b) traffic-monitoring device; or
(c) railroad traffic-control device.
(2) Except as provided in Subsection (3), a person may not:
(a) knowingly use a traffic signal preemption device to interfere with the authorized operation or the authorized cycle of a traffic-control signal; or
(b) operate a motor vehicle on a highway while in possession of a traffic signal preemption device.
(3) The provisions of Subsections (1) and (2) do not apply to a person authorized by the highway authority or railroad authority with jurisdiction over the device.
(4) A violation of Subsection (1) or (2) is a class C misdemeanor.
(5) It is an affirmative defense to a charge under Subsection (2)(b) that the traffic signal preemption device was inoperative and could not be readily used at the time of the citation or arrest.