Gas prices are rising so high that it’s starting to affect even the police service, prompting fuel-saving measures to be put in place in Michigan. The American Automobile Association fuel price tracker shows that gasoline has risen by 50 cents per gallon since last week, jumping the price up to %.21 from $4.71. The rise has caused Michigan State Police to modify its responses to calls, but will still patrol the streets.
“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,” Sheriff Michael Main said. “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.”
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe PPV
According to Fox News, Isabella County, which sits in the middle of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, has already exhausted its budget allocated for fuel, and Main said in a statement that there are still several months to go before the budget resets. Because of this, Main has told his officers “to attempt to manage whatever calls are acceptable over the phone.”
This includes calls that are not in progress, calls that are not life-threatening, and those not requiring evidence collection, documentation, or the physical presence of the police.
At the moment, the Michigan State Police fleet largely consists of V8 Dodge Charger sedans, EcoBoost V6-powered Ford Explorer Police Interceptor SUVs, and Chevrolet Tahoe PPV SUVs. Electric vehicles like the Ford Mustang Mach-E have been evaluated for police duty, but aren’t quite up to the task in comparison to more traditional vehicles.
Gas prices on average are now $5 across the nation, and continuing to climb. If analysts are correct, that number could jump by an extra dollar by the time the summer hits, which is the peak time for fuel buying as people enjoy the nicer weather.
Governments have attempted to ease the pain by releasing strategic reserves of oil, as well as cutting taxes in some states, but it hasn’t been enough to completely alleviate the high prices caused by the ban on Russian oil and a global low supply.
Image via Ford
