A Michigan sheriff posted on Facebook last week that his department would only respond to active criminals and life-threatening calls made by officers who exceeded their gas budgets by months. since the start of the new budget. That Facebook post has now disappeared, but officials are still trying to find more money to refuel their cars.
Michigan, where our unofficial state motto is “better than you think,” is home to Isabella County, which is home to about 70,000 people who live two and a half hours northwest of Detroit. Isabella County Sheriff Michael Main said deputies would take calls for petty issues and crimes rather than sending cars for every call, Michigan Central Square report:
“We ran out of fuel budget for several months prior to the budget reset,” Police Chief Michael Main said in a Facebook post.
Documents recital The budget of the Isabella County Sheriff’s Office increased from $3.18 million in 2020 to $3.7 million in 2022 – a 16.2% increase. About 70,300 people live in the county.
The Road Patrol budget also increased from $123,541 to $134,080 in those two years, an 8.5% increase.
Main said he instructed delegates to “manage calls that don’t proceed, calls that are not life-threatening, [and] calls do not require collecting evidence or documents” over the phone.
“Representatives will continue to patrol all parts of the county, they will respond to calls for direct management,” Main’s social media post continued. “Any calls in progress with active suspects will involve delegates’ responses. I want to assure the community that safety is our primary goal and we will continue to respond to those calls.”
You have a nice little community here. It would be a shame if the police stopped answering calls because they didn’t have money for gas, wouldn’t it?
Gas prices are literally skyrocketing across the country, including in small towns in Michigan where unleaded gallon will run you $5.21.
Looks like the police will make a little extra money for gas. The Isabella County Finance and Administration Commission released an amendment to the current budget that, if approved, would contribute to the department’s budget and add $20,000 in gas bills, WNEM report.
If you’re in Isabella County and the Sheriff doesn’t show up, you can always roll the dice and call the Border Patrol, which counts the entire state of Michigan under its jurisdiction and no longer subject to the 4th amendment. Or you could write Ryan Kelley,”… the most prominent candidate running for the Michigan Republican leader nomination“The person was just arrested for active participation on January 6.
