Public Safety takes steps to conserve gas

The Department of Public Safety’s gas budget for the fiscal year typically falls between $15,000 and $20,000 for their 10 marked vehicles. Yet, with gas prices continuing to rise and funds being cut throughout the university, Public Safety is utilizing alternative transportation to use less gas.

Lt. Greg Williams, who overlooks the Support Services Division, explains that the department tries to be as economically responsible as possible.

“(Officers) are required to do three hours of foot patrol per shift,” Williams said. “We have a bike patrol when the weather gets fair and we have golf carts that are electric. We are doing everything we can to save gas. Especially in the state budget crisis, we really don’t have the money to be spending on anything extra.”

Out of the 10 patrol cars, the majority are Ford Crown Victorias, which get nine miles per gallon. Two are 2009 Dodge Chargers, which tend to get 16 miles per gallon. Public Safety gathers monthly reports on how many miles per gallon each vehicle is getting. However, Williams admits that patrolling in the vehicles may not always be monetarily efficient.

“Even in this environment, the Dodge Chargers cannot get the prime gas mileage because of all the stop-and-go,” Williams said.

The State of Georgia is technically the owner of the cars, but Public Safety’s manual puts responsibility on the officers. According to the Georgia College Public Safety Operations Manual, “the final responsibility for care rests on the officer who operates the vehicle.” Part of their responsibility includes checking tire inflation, mechanical defects, lights, brakes and emergency equipment.

The officers are not allowed to use the cars for personal use, which also aids in conserving more gas. Most vehicles are not driven to the officer’s homes at the end of their 12-hour shift, but if they are, officers cannot use them again until starting their next shift.

“Two take-home cars go to those who are in direct vicinity of the campus and are considered first responders for emergencies,” Williams said.

First responders are required to have response gear and weapons stored in the car’s trunk at all times. Only officers within minutes of campus when at home are appointed first responders.

However, even with Public Safety’s strategic vehicle uses and alternative means of transportation, there are some students who want to see less gas usage.

“At Georgia College I tend to see more cops sitting in places that don’t have any traffic and are unnecessary at times,” said Katie Perreault, a senior athletic training major. “Sitting is a waste of gas and most of them that I see have their cars on because they want the air conditioning running. That’s inefficient.”

Williams recognizes many students may respond to the patrolling vehicles with skepticism.

“Some people question, ‘Well, why do y’all even have so many cars? Why can’t you have someone on foot the whole time,’” Williams said. “It’s a good question but you have to remember that we don’t always just have one call going on at one given time. We may have one at Lake Laurel and one at West Campus at the same time. That’s opposite ends of the county.”

In general, Public Safety has seen the importance of being well-equipped with 10 patrol cars and believes patrolling is essential to their campus job. Gas costs just come with the territory and in the long run it’s worth it, Williams said.

“The police car is a presence,” Williams said. “It’s a billboard riding around campus advertising ‘Hey! We are looking. We are watching.’ Visibility is effective.”