if they tell the cops to reduce their patrols by 10 percent then i suspect the patrols dont reduce crime and could be eliminated. Original Article Strapped DPS to save on gasoline Higher fuel prices spur cuts in patrols Senta Scarborough The Arizona Republic Oct. 6, 2005 12:00 AM Arizona Department of Public Safety officers will cut the number of miles they patrol on the highway in the face of skyrocketing gas prices that could cost the agency an extra $2 million this year. Officers have been ordered to cut their driving by 10 percent a month and conduct stationary enforcements using radar guns on freeway ramps, medians or overpasses instead of patrolling. Officers also will write reports on the road instead of returning to the office, carpool to meetings and training, and look for bargain gas prices when refueling. "It was unforeseen," DPS spokesman Officer Frank Valenzuela said. "It's exceeded more than we could have imagined." DPS Director Roger Vanderpool ordered the changes Sept. 23 to offset the "tremendous negative impact" of high fuel prices. Valenzuela said that the changes at the DPS could have a "slightly negative" impact on enforcement but that it's hard to gauge. "(Patrolling) is more visible to the public, and they are more apt to observe the traffic laws," he said. "We are still going to be out, and the officers, when needed, will do whatever to get the job done." Highway Patrol officers drive about 20,000 miles per year. The DPS isn't alone in the struggle against high fuel costs. Loretta Barkell, financial officer for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, said fuel costs will double this year over 2004, to about $250,000. "If prices keep going as high as they are, I don't know how we're going to keep absorbing it with the appropriation given to us by the county," she said. Deputies patrol about 7,700 unincorporated square miles in the county and sometimes face 30-mile drives to a single call. The agency averages about 700,000 to 900,000 miles a month, or about 11 million miles driven each year. "We haven't asked them to cut back. Not yet, anyway," Barkell said. "I don't know how we could do our job and cut back." Phoenix police officials said officers have been advised not to make unnecessary trips, but no significant changes have been ordered. Sgt. Lynn Ideus, president of the Grand Canyon State Fraternal Order of Police, which represents all DPS employees, said he doesn't expect the cutbacks to hurt public safety. "They will respond to each and every call," he said. "Those will not be limited." The DPS budgeted $2.2 million for fuel this year and could spend an extra $2 million to $2.9 million. Vanderpool said if the department reaches its cost-saving goal, it could reduce that by about $500,000. The agency also plans to ask the Legislature and the Governor's Office to help cover the rising costs. The crisis, brought on by Hurricane Katrina, isn't the first time the DPS has faced dramatic fuel conservation. In the early 1980s, officers were restricted to 100 miles a day in the face of a gas shortage, Valenzuela said. DPS Comptroller Phil Case said that last year the department incurred a $1.3 million shortfall due to gas shortages. But this fiscal year's fuel budget deficit could double. "We didn't expect it would go as high as it did," Case said. "The desire is to make smart choices and do some more stationary patrols rather than rolling patrols." The department hopes to increase staff this year but may face not filling positions depending on how high fuel prices rise and how long they last, he said.