Pricey gas: Fewer cops, more potholes

from CNN Money:


Pricey gas: Fewer cops, more potholes
Local governments grappling with soaring fuel prices scale back services citizens have come to expect.



NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- In what seems to be a perverse reaction to high gas prices, some cities are cutting back on public transit - at a time when their citizens need it most.

Due to skyrocketing fuel costs local governments are being forced to trim all sorts of services - not only busses - but police departments and road repair crews too.

The Montana Highway Patrol, after failing to find enough police recruits, is using $300,000 that had been set aside for more officers to pay the gas bill instead.

Sheriff's departments in Maryland and Florida have also reportedly cut patrol routes or officers.

"They're not going to fill positions because they don't have the dough," said Ronald Reucker, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. "It'll mean more speeding, more drunk drivers, and more fatal crashes."

In a recent gas price survey by the National Association of Counties, 81% of counties responding said public safety was the area most impacted by high gas prices. Nearly half said reducing the number of vehicles in the county fleet are among steps being considered. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/15/news/economy/fleet_gas/index.htm?postversion=2008071508

Since buses are such hotbeds of crime, or so my gun-owning, SUV-driving friends and neighbors keep telling me. Republicans are such pussies.