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GSP cuts back on gas use

• Georgia State Troopers cut back on water usage during the height of the drought last year.

J.D. Sumner

ALBANY — Taking what state officials call a proactive step toward conservation, the Georgia State Patrol has put measures in place that its leaders hope will cut gasoline consumption. Early indications seem to support their claims.

Earlier this year, administrators with the state patrol developed a new policy that is designed to conserve fuel in a move that state officials tout as both fiscally and environmentally friendly for the state of Georgia.

The most obvious policy change comes in the form of what Senior Trooper and Media spokesperson Larry Schnall calls discretionary patrols.

“We are taking measures to try and conserve fuel in a variety of ways,” Schnall said. “One of those changes, what we refer to as discretionary patrolling, involves shifting a focus to items like speed detection using stationary radar rather than driving around.”

While sitting stationary, troopers will continue to watch for the same driving behaviors they would if they were actively patrolling but all while saving fuel.

Other steps to conserve fuel and save money include using regular fuel and allowing troopers to carpool to in-service training, Schnall said.

In some areas, Schnall said posts were doubling up on troopers, with two troopers per car.

The effort appears to be having an effect.

“Since the beginning of the year, we’ve noticed a low-end savings on fuel at 15 percent, with some places at around 25 percent,” Schnall said. “So it seems to be working.”

It’s not the first time the state patrol has turned an eye to conservation. Last year during the height of the state’s water crisis, the department placed restrictions on water usage that banned normally commonplace actions such as washing cars, Schnall said.

“Obviously, keeping a clean fleet is important to us, but when you have such a crisis with water, cutting back our consumption was something we felt strongly about,” he said.

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