Gas prices impacting local police and sheriff departments

By Bernard Baker
Danville Register & Bee
Published: May 26, 2008

Local law enforcement officials see making some adjustments, as they watch gasoline prices going up almost every day.

Caswell County, North Carolina Sheriff Michael Welch currently lets his deputies take patrol cars home with them after a shift.

It’s makes good sense from Welch’s standpoint.

“There’s a term for it. It’s call omnipresent,” Welch said Friday.

Law enforcement hopes criminals will get the message and avoid causing problems if a deputy is a short drive away rather waiting for a call in Yanceyville, N.C.

But some law enforcement agencies are changing gears with the rising price of gasoline. One South Carolina police department no longer allows patrolmen to take cars home at night, instead encouraging more foot patrols and doubling up in cruisers.

“Take-home cars have been an issue for most law enforcement agencies in the past,” Welch said.

Welch doesn’t want to cut law enforcement services for Caswell County residents. He’s proposed adding two additional deputies and is asking for about $83,000 for gasoline — assuming gas prices hit $4 a gallon — compared to $75,000 last year.

What Welch would like to do is divide Caswell County into five patrol enforcement districts rather than the three he has now. He has 30 deputies to patrol 435 square miles of territory.

“The goal is to have the staff to place a deputy in each of these districts. I believe it would increase response time and presence,” he said.

He has put in place a plan where a patrol supervisor screens calls and tries to handle non-emergency calls. That allows deputies to handle emergency calls when they come in.

Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor is concerned about rising gas prices as well.

“We’re way behind in our budget appropriation. We have to move money from other categories to keep up with the gasoline line item,” he said. “Tough times, call for touch measures.”

Taylor’s officers have come up with ideas to reduce gasoline consumption.

The sheriff’s office will ask the court to be more lenient in serving court papers. He wants to be able to leave the document at the door if the person if not home. That will cut down on repeat visits to make sure the notice is served.

“It’s just a redundant process,” he said.

Taylor said the sheriff’s office might have to stop providing funeral procession services, a proposal he hates that because it is a public service and provides a vital safety net.

“I don’t want to do that. It’s such a service to those families,” Taylor said.

It may get to the point where Taylor will require deputies to stay at a location for a certain numbers of hours a day to save gas. They would be called out by a dispatcher to respond to situations.

Training may be done online, or officers will carpool to the training site. 

“We’re trying to use the technology that’s available to use to reduce gas consumption,” Taylor said.

Lt. Mike Mondul, Danville Police spokesman, said officers do not take cruisers home. He said the department plans on taking steps to save gasoline and taxpayer money.

And don’t be surprised if there are more foot patrols in the city.

Contact Bernard Baker at or at (434) 791-7986.