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Highlands Today

Officer Fuel Savings Gimmick Isn't Worth Trying

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Highlands Today Staff

Published: July 10, 2008

Everyone, with the possible exception of wealthy folks who don't care, is looking at ways to trim fuel expenses. Local governments certainly are trying to save money where they can, and every option is on the table. That's as it should be. But we also think it's unreasonable to devise gimmicky fuel savings by telling law enforcement and others to brave Florida's sweltering heat to save a buck or two. The good news is that our local law enforcement agencies are not doing that.

In Clearwater, the police chief has asked officers to turn off the air conditioning 15 minutes of every hour in patrol cars. In Tampa, the police are telling officers to limit the amount of time their patrol cars are idling.

We understand the pressure these law enforcement agencies are under to cut costs, but some savings do not make sense in the long run. Both of these ideas are good examples of that.

Local police administrators have resisted such policies, and we applaud them for it. It's unrealistic, and even cruel, to have officers to wear bullet-proof vests and sit in un-air conditioned vehicles. It's just too hot, and the last thing we want are our officers distracted the least bit when they are serving the public. We also don't want them peeling off their vests to cool off because some policy is making their life miserable.

We entrust our law enforcement with great responsibility. Along with that responsibility is great risk, and we want our deputies and officers protected as much as possible. It's not too much to ask for the public to make sure comfort is part of that.

Besides, as one official said, shutting off patrol cars with computers is a bad idea. We want officers ready and able to respond immediately.

The idea to look at saving money by replacing non-patrol cars with more fuel-efficient models makes a lot of sense. That's where savings can be found. As for our officers on the road, who are out there amongst us doing their best to keep the community safe, give them what they need. Any gas we might save isn't worth the negative consequences they would have to live with.

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