Town budget getting pinched at the gas pump

at a time, each patrolling one of the two areas into which the town is divided, while officers ride double, with two in the car working the busiest area north of Route 11. Three cruisers will be on patrol most nights as well as during the approach to the weekend as call volume rises, when the K-9 unit is generally on duty. “This will enable us to keep the same number of officers on patrol while providing back-up for most incidents when two officers are required without having to send a second unit,” Keenan explained. For some time officers have been limited to clocking 100 miles per shift, which will now be trimmed to 80 miles. In order to maintain the same presence, offi cars have been directed to do more “PWT” (parkwalk- talk) and run stationary radar. Keenan said that when officers patrol Wal-Mart Plaza or other commercial areas, they should park their cruiser, kill the engine and patrol on foot, noting that they will not only conserve fuel but also enhance police presence. Likewise, officers checking the doors of businesses at night — and every business is checked every night — can work on foot. Cruisers will not be left to idle when on calls unless the circumstances require the emergency lights and officers have been encouraged to reduce their speed while on patrol. Keenan said that the Department of Public Works does a good job of performing scheduled maintenance, particularly regular oil changes and correct tire pressures necessary for cruisers to operate efficiently. “We are not reducing the level of service,” Keenan stressed, “but we are performing the same services in a different way.” Acknowledging that the steep rise in gas prices hastened the conservation efforts, he said that “more than the funding issue, we should be reducing our consumption, being responsible, no matter what the cost.” He noted that this year the department has replaced two conventional eight-cylinder police interceptors with more economical six-cylinder Ford Fusions and would continue to explore opportunities to add fuel-efficient vehicles to the fleet. In Laconia, Captain Bill Clary, who oversees the police fleet, said that while the department has been pursuing efforts to reduce fuel consumption for some time, the police, together with other city departments, would be meeting with Finance Director Pam Reynolds next week to address the issue. “We’ve told officers not to idle except when necessary and we’ve been using the motorcycles and bicycles as much as possible, depending on the weather, Clary said. Although the department is reluctant to limit the mileage per shift, Clary said officers have been encouraged to be “conservative” and “try not to go beyond 100 miles.” Clary explained that other steps, such as car pooling when officers are required to attend hearings in Concord, pose dilemmas. “We can put two or three guys in a car,” he explained, “but then we might have one or two waiting for the third so we’re paying personnel to more than we’re saving on fuel costs.” Chief Mike Moyer said that he was consulting with the International Association of Chiefs of Police to learn what policies and procedures to spare fuel costs followed by other departments would be appropriate in Laconia. Likewise, he welcomed the opportunity for the department to meet with Reynolds and other departments to “brainstorm on ways to cut fuel costs for both the fleet and the building. “We’re on top of it,” he said, noting that the challenge was to improve fuel efficiency without compromising safety. Reynolds said that “we did not budget for the dramatic increases in the price of fuels and we need to do some brainstorming to come up with ideas to mitigate the impact of higher costs.” She expected to make a report and offer some recommendations to the City Council that after the meeting with city departments. Belmont Police Chief Vincent Baiocchetti said that “we’ve been doing things like not idling to reduce fuel consumption for a period of time.” One cruiser, he said, has been fitted with an alternate battery to run the light bar for nearly a year. “That lets us run the lights without idling,” he explained. “We’re still in the process of seeing how that works.” He said that the department operates a motorcycle throughout the year, weather permitting, as well as mounts foot patrols wherever appropriate. “We’ve got a lot of area to cover with several major highways and it’s not always easy to get where we need to be,” Baiocchetti said. “Limiting mileage is not the most effective way to conserve,” he continued. “We’ve still got a job to do and our mileage is not unreasonable, not even 200 miles a night.” However, he said that officers have been encouraged to adjust their driving style to the higher fuel costs. “When prices increased last year, we increased our budget, which is looking pretty good right now,” Baiocchetti said. Like Baiocchetti, Chief Kevin Morrow in Meredith said that he was reluctant to limit mileage, preferring to maintain the police presence at current levels. But, like his counterparts he has discouraged unnecessary idling and increased motorcycle patrols. “Just little things,” he remarked, “but we’re looking at fuel consumption every month.” He said that “we’ve spent 50-percent of our fuel budget through the fi rst half of the year, so we’re right on target, but we’ll come close.”

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