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An eye on the Streets

May 26, 2008 - 10:34:17 CDT

By JENNY MICHAEL/Bismarck Tribune

When Burleigh County Sheriff Pat Heinert put together his department’s budget last year, he estimated gas would cost $2.89 a gallon on average during 2008.

“We’re about 40 cents a gallon over what we budgeted,” he said, adding that law enforcement agencies are tax exempt.

Through April, the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department had spent $23,977 on gas, out of a $101,000 gas budget for 2008. With prices projected to keep rising, Heinert is concerned the department may top its gas budget like it did in 2007, when $92,176 went toward gas despite an $80,000 budget for it.

“We don’t have a choice,” he said. “We have to be out there driving.”

Keeping cars parked isn’t an option for law enforcement agencies, and in some cases neither is driving more fuel-efficient vehicles. Officers have to patrol and respond to emergencies, even as gas prices continue to climb. Nationally, some law enforcement agencies are making gas-saving changes, including having officers patrol on foot, putting two officers in one car, and stopping officers from taking patrol cars home. While some of those scenarios may happen in the future, local law enforcement agencies haven’t gotten to that point yet.

Sheriffs’ departments, including those in Burleigh and Morton counties, cover large areas, and are tasked with transporting inmates in and out of state.

Sheriffs’ departments have to bring wanted persons back to North Dakota when they are arrested in other states. Morton County Sheriff Dave Shipman said more extraditions than expected can change a gas budget in a hurry. But driving makes more sense than flying in most cases, due to higher airline ticket prices, Shipman and Heinert said. Burleigh County has contracted with a Kansas company to bring prisoners from Indiana and North Carolina, which saved the department about 60 percent.

Sheriffs’ departments also have to transfer inmates between in-state jails and prisons. Shipman tries to work with other departments to cut the miles. If Morton County has an inmate who needs to go to Rugby and Ward County has an inmate to take to Bismarck, the departments may meet halfway and swap inmates, he said.

Burleigh County monitors deputies’ fuel mileage, Heinert said.

If two deputies use the same patrol car and get vastly different gas mileage, the one getting the lower mileage may be counseled on his driving habits.

Deputies in Morton County have taken it upon themselves to try to cut back on gas consumption, Shipman said. During slow nights, deputies sometimes work on reports in their cars rather than keep driving the empty roads, he said.

The Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department has postponed buying two new vehicles to make budget room for the expected increase in spending on gas, Heinert said. That may not be the best long-term solution, as vehicles get more expensive to run as they near and top 100,000 miles on the odometer, he said.

Shipman’s budget doesn’t have many areas that can be cut to make up for higher gas costs. Yet, even with a higher-than-expected gas bill, the department made it through 2007 under budget. Higher gas prices, for now, are something agencies are going to have to deal with, he said.

“I don’t think it’s fair to the citizens that because of the price of gas we tell (deputies) they have to leave the cars parked,” he said.

While municipal departments have smaller areas to travel than county sheriffs’ departments, they still have to patrol the roads and respond to emergencies. The Bismarck and Mandan police departments haven’t faced too many problems from the gas prices, but they anticipate budget constraints in the future.

The Bismarck Police Department has a $71,800 budget for gas for 2008, Lt. Mike Arnold said. However, once they pass that amount, the city uses a reserve fund to pay for the department’s gas, he said.

“The city realizes we have no control over gas prices,” he said.

The department spends $12,000 to $14,000 on gas each month, Arnold said. Officers usually drive 90 to 100 miles per shift.

Despite the high costs, the Bismarck Police Department hasn’t changed anything about its operations, Lt. Randy Ziegler said. Other than telling officers not to let their cars idle unnecessarily, there are no differences in the department, he said.

“We have not cut out any services, and we will not cut any services,” he said.

Mandan Police Chief Dennis Bullinger said his department’s cost for gas in the first four months of 2008 was up 42 percent compared to the first four months of 2007. Despite gas going up constantly in the last few years, the Mandan Police Department has not gone over budget on gas yet, though this year could be different, he said. The department, which uses 1,600 gallons of gas a month on average, also hasn’t changed any practices, he said.

All of the local departments use some sport utility vehicles on patrol, and Mandan police exclusively drive the larger vehicles. The SUVs are needed in snow storms and other inclement conditions, so departments have to have them around.

Bullinger said his department won’t be going back to sedans, despite the inferior fuel efficiency of SUVs. Since Mandan quit using sedans, officers have been involved in fewer wrecks, have had fewer back problems and the department has less vehicle maintenance costs, he said. Also, the larger vehicles can be driven longer than the sedans and have a higher resale value, Bullinger pointed out, noting the city’s fire, public works and water treatment departments have purchased and used former police SUVs.

Even before gas prices started climbing, the North Dakota Highway Patrol began monitoring the miles troopers were driving, Col. Mark Nelson said. Troopers are expected to average less than 200 miles per shift, and the patrol promotes “at-rest patrol.” Such efforts retain the Highway Patrol’s high visibility and conserve fuel, and have insulated the department somewhat from rising gas prices, Nelson said.

The Legislature has raised the patrol’s budget enough to keep the department’s 150-vehicle fleet on the road, Nelson said. Highway Patrol vehicles are maintained through the Department of Transportation’s state fleet, which purchases fuel in bulk and determines how long state vehicles stay on the road.

Troopers are patrolling North Dakota’s 70,000 square miles just as they always have, Nelson said.

“We’re still maintaining that, and I think that’s an expectation from the public,” he said.

Though the highway patrol has been relatively unaffected so far by the increased gas costs, that may not always be the case.

“As this momentum continues, it’s going to get tougher and tougher, and we are going to have to look at the budget as we head into the next biennium,” Capt. Dave Kleppe said.

The departments have some ideas for reducing gas bills in the future if necessary, though most ideas are still in the works.

The Bismarck Police Department has been looking into an online reporting system, where people could report low priority incidents, such as some property crimes and animal calls, in an online form, Ziegler said. The department still would send officers to a scene if requested, Ziegler said.

Shipman said his officers may eventually take non-priority reports over the phone rather than driving out to a scene. Deputies in and around Mandan may not be able to take department vehicles home in the future, which they currently can do, he said.

When someone gets hurt in Mandan and Mandan detectives are asked to respond to Bismarck hospitals, the detectives living in Bismarck may be asked to respond directly to the hospital rather than drive to Mandan and pick up a Mandan police vehicle, Bullinger said.

Departments are open to exploring new vehicle technologies, such as hybrids, but they want to be sure they are cost effective, perform as well as the current vehicles and are large enough to hold the copious amounts of equipment necessary for law enforcement work.

Changes to the way law enforcement agencies operate seem likely in the future, as the gas prices appear inclined to continue rising.

“I don’t think it’s going to come down,” Bullinger said.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@bismarcktribune.com.)

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Comments

jeez wrote on Jun 2, 2008 2:39 PM:

" To those hypocrites who say police should ride bikes... I challenge you to ride your bike to OR from work, let alone for an entire 12 hour shift with police gear on! Get a clue! "

JUST ME wrote on Jun 2, 2008 11:27 AM:

" A lot of foolish remarks here..... Can't some of you read and then think before you post? WE do need a good county sheriff department. Just as we need a good city police department. They all need good cars and getting rid of a car right now because it does not make as good gas milage is not a good choice as far as I am concerned. We sell a vehicle for little and pay big bucks out for a smaller one that will not be as sturdy as the old ones. They are not as safe as the older ones.
John , who forced you to buy a smaller vehicle? It was YOUR decission! "

Dave wrote on Jun 2, 2008 10:07 AM:

" There are police in Bismarck? "

Get Real wrote on Jun 2, 2008 9:11 AM:

" Cmon, are you serious? You want these guys driving smaller, slower cars? I for one want my police officers, and sheriffs deputies to be driving the biggest, fastest, meanest cars and 4x4's made. Where I live now, the Hiway patrol has Dodge Chargers that are highly modified. Awesome! I also want my police officers to be carrying the latest, state of the art, highly effective weapons. Cops need more money for gas? I for one am willing to give a little more. Lets give them the money so they can do their job! "

R U KIDDIN ME wrote on Jun 2, 2008 8:06 AM:

" Is this what we have come to??? A Sheriff and A Police Chief you cant do anything write.. You don't hear the fire department, Post Office, UPS, DHL, Fed Ex MDU, Midco or any one else for that matter having such an issue with this. I am starting to think Mr. Heinert was not the man for the job.. I thought he was going to "fix this department" Now a deputy may be counseled on his driving habits??? who's to say the deputy is doing anything wrong one might drive under the limit when the other drives the limit it is not that they would be doing anything wrong now would it... Pat grow up.. They didn't like you as the manager in your little car sellin gig and we dont like you as a sheriff... "

like Goodo days wrote on Jun 2, 2008 3:18 AM:

" Perhaps some of the inmates at the jail could work off some time by pedaling a bicycle rickshaw to take city police around in these hard times. Perhaps with an extra bicycle on the back. Then up to two drunks could be chained in the rickshaw with the policemen pedaling the extra bicycle behind.
Or we could go back to the old horse drawn patty wagon and horse drawn street cars.
With really good bus service the downtown police could ride the bus with the arrested person chained to the seat.
And with really good bus service and enough hydrants Firemen could ride the bus to a fire?
But this article was about the county sheriff. The county is two big anyway. Lets make the enforced areas smaller and give tax breaks to outer areas that can keep the crime down on their own.
If a drunk goes off the road in the middle of the night just send his bartender out to pick him up. "

Mike R wrote on Jun 2, 2008 12:53 AM:

" I just gotta comment. 2 posters (one of them was the very first post actually) have accused sheriff Heinert of counseling deputies who drive fewer miles. Nowhere in the article does it say anything even remotely close to that. It says that he will counsel the deputies that get poorer mileage than the others. For example, if one deputy drives the only 2006 Impala in the fleet and consistantly gets 22 miles per gallon, and then another deputy drives that very same vehicle and only averages 15 miles per gallon going on the same types of calls and patroling the same roads, then there is a problem. It says nothing at all about how many miles they are supposed to drive (only the highway patrol has that rule). Can some of you people please learn to read before you start commenting? "

kevin wrote on May 30, 2008 12:34 PM:

" " I think there should be officers on bicycles in the downtown and village areas! they always carry radios anyway. I think that would be good for they,re health and also save our tax dollars. "

Chad wrote on May 28, 2008 9:13 PM:

" I think they should try and get the gas price down to 3.15 a gallon "

to Bismarcker wrote on May 27, 2008 4:37 PM:

" Sounds like law enforcement needs to be more forwarding looking. By what Sheriff Heinert says, it sounds like his department is being more reactive instead of proactive. Taxpayers pay a high price for protection and emergency services to secure the future of our communities. It's the value of what is done that matters. Cheif Keith Witt at least keeps the BPD focussed on service and protecting the public without jeapordizing public safety. "

Bismarcker wrote on May 27, 2008 1:37 PM:

" I know some officers and deputies like the Ford Crown Vics and the SUV's because there is lots of room to spare inside the vehicles. However, I too would have to agree that in this day and age it seems almost imperative to search for better vehicles with better mileage. I think the Chevy Impala is a good start at least compared to large rear wheel drive gas guzzlers. I think it should be required for all law enforcement agencies to look at downsizing their vehicles rather than cutting services or patrol. It is time to change decades of old thinking! "

To John wrote on May 27, 2008 11:18 AM:

" Downsizing horsepower and 4-wheel drives is a good idean plus Pat Hienert should consider not allowing Take-Home Department Vehicles for the Civil Process and Warrants Deputies and deputies not on-call in Investigations and upper chain of command. This would make more sense than driving squad cars over 100,000 miles and repremanding deputies for driving too many miles a shift. "

Jack wrote on May 27, 2008 10:11 AM:

" Sounds like a time management issue. Police Officers and Deputies need to run their department vehicles like if the money was coming out of their pockets and that will save tax dollars. That means not using the air conditioning or heat when not necessary and turning off the vehicles whenever possible when at a call or crime scenes or when eating breakfast at 3:00 a.m. at Krolls Kitchen. "

John wrote on May 27, 2008 3:00 AM:

" There isnt any reaosn they cant buy a smaller vehicle that gets better mpg. I was forced too, they should too.

I also was pulled over for a simple ticket, and three cops showed up. That makes sense too.

Mandan cops cruise around in 4 wheel drives, I used to do that too, now I drive a 4 banger, get the hint. simple isnt it? Quit scratching your head wondering what to do.
My 4 banger is probably just as fast (or faster) as those 4 wheel drives, and gets 40 mpg, "

To concerned bpd wrote on May 26, 2008 10:02 PM:

" Ditto for the Burleigh County Sheriff's Dept. A record high number of employees have left the department since the new sheriff took control. "

concernedbpd wrote on May 26, 2008 5:37 PM:

" Well if what I hear about the morale at the Bismarck Police Department and the exodis of police officers the BPD shouldn't have to worry about gas, they won't have officers to operate the cars "

to wal wrote on May 26, 2008 3:43 PM:

" They've spent 1/4 of their budget so far, but that's before gas prices go up. So assuming they'll spend a quarter of the budget every 3 months requires assuming gas prices stay the same. And I don't think any of us actually expect that to happen. "

wal wrote on May 26, 2008 1:44 PM:

" If the Sheriff's Dept. spent $23,977 for gas through the month of April, they will not go over budget. If they budgeted $101,000 for the year, and spent less than 1/4 of that in a 4 month period (which is 1/3 of the year), they will actually have money left in the budget....make sense? "

why wrote on May 26, 2008 11:36 AM:

" Seems like a catch 22 situation. Gas prices are rising so fast that the Law Enforcement can't budget for Gasoline. Poetic justice would be big oil execs going to the bank to cash their big bonus checks and getting robbed. Only to find out law enforcement can't respond because prices rose so high there was no money in budget for gas. "

Lucy wrote on May 26, 2008 11:09 AM:

" Isn't Sheriff Heinert gambling with citizens' lives by choosing to not purchase new cars but rather to drive old patrol cars that have high mileage and more pron to break down? Taking that chance is a poor decision especially when deputies are responding to emergency calls. "

Phil wrote on May 26, 2008 10:47 AM:

" This is a very interesting article and I must commend the Bismarck Polic Dept. for NOT limiting their response to the public due to high gas prices. With them, the citizens' safety and welfare comes first. Thank you, Chief Witt. I disagree with Morton's Sheriff Shipman in his response to not drive out to the scene for non-priority calls. The public isn't going to feel as though they are being fully served and that their call is unimportant. As for Burleigh County's Sheriff Heinert, he states that he'll counsel deputies if one drives less miles than the other. That's ridiculous. Each deputy surely must vary in his daily patrol duties whether its sitting on the roadside and catching speeders or simply patroling the rural areas. Each is doing there job but in a different way. So, how can Sheriff Heinert judge one over the other by just looking at the odometer? "

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