ISABELLA COUNTY, Mich. – A Michigan police department says higher gas prices have forced them to re-think how to handle non-urgent calls.
The Isabella County Sheriff’s Office in Central Michigan, home of Mt. Pleasant, said in a Facebook post this week that due to higher fuel prices, they have asked deputies to manage what they can over the phone:
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Isabella County Sheriff’s Office is feeling the pain at the pump as well. We have exhausted what funds were budgeted for fuel with several months to go before the budget reset.
I have instructed the deputies to attempt to manage whatever calls are acceptable over the phone. This would be non-in-progress calls, non-life-threatening calls, calls that do not require evidence collection or documentation.
Deputies will continue to provide patrols to all areas of the county, they will respond to those calls that need to be managed in person. Any call that is in progress with active suspects will involve a response by the deputies. I want to assure the community that safety is our primary goal, and we will continue to respond to those types of calls.
Isabella County Sheriff Michael Main
Gas prices in Michigan were at an average of $5.21 per gallon statewide, as of June 8, with Isabella County around $5.18, both above the national average of $4.95 per gallon, according to AAA data.