Looking over skyrocketing fuel expense reports, Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks said there isn't much he can do but scratch his head.
"Fuel is our lifeblood," Mincks said. "Without it, we don't move."
Last year, the department spent $136,545 on gasoline. The department budgeted $159,000 for fuel in 2008, but recent spikes in fuel prices led to another $66,000 being added to the total. The $225,000 estimated fuel cost for this year represents a 65 percent increase.
"To make it up, we will begin to cut training, then overtime, and if it continues, we could have to cut some positions," Mincks said.
About $16,000 of this year's budgeted fuel costs is for prisoner transport. Almost daily, officers are called upon to drop off or pick up inmates at state facilities. Mincks said the cost could be higher, but efforts are made to coordinate trips and move as many people as possible at one time.
Multiple transports aren't always possible, though. The sheriff's office transports inmates on court orders, meaning judges dictate when prisoners are brought back.
"We work closely with the courts to minimize the number of trips we have to take," Mincks said.
The pickup radius on warrants for the individuals also determines whether deputies will retrieve the suspect, based on where he or she is arrested. If the individual is arrested outside the pickup radius, they will not be brought back, Mincks said.
Out-of-state extraditions are down this year, which is also helping to keep costs down. Mincks said when he took office in 2005 he worked with Marietta Municipal Court to reduce or stop out-of-state pickups for misdemeanor-level offenses.
"It doesn't make sense to pick up for misdemeanors," Mincks said. "Most of the time, we would pick these guys up, bring them back, and they would get let out on a personal recognizance bond. They'd be home before our officers finished the paperwork."
Last year, deputies went out of state 14 times to pick up prisoners, including two trips to Florida. This year to date, officers have been to Las Vegas twice and to Missouri once to pick up felony-level offenders who were detained.
Earlier this year, deputies picked up several prisoners at a West Virginia facility in Clarksburg. However, Mincks said that was part of a federal contract with the U.S. Marshal's Service. The jail houses five or more federal prisoners at a time and costs associated with their transportation are paid for by that federal agency.
Marietta resident Kathy Starcher, 46, said deputies should probably reconsider all extraditions, unless the individual is accused of a violent crime.
"Why spend all that time and money to bring back someone for a small-time crook?" Starcher said.
If Marietta Municipal Court Judge Janet Dyar-Welch, whose court handles misdemeanor cases for the county, orders someone to be brought from another state on a misdemeanor warrant, the sheriff's office is obligated to do so, Mincks said. However, he said the judge understands the costs associated and works with the office to minimize them.
County judges decide when to pick up felony-level offenders, Mincks said.
Washington County Common Pleas Judge Ed Lane said Ohio law often dictates when prisoners get moved. He said the sheriff's office is doing a good job of getting people to their hearings.
"In many cases, we are required to have a hearing within a certain amount of time and we don't have an option to wait," Lane said. "For example, with an insanity plea, we have to hold a hearing within 10 days of getting the report."
As for the added cost to transport inmates, Lane said there is little anyone can do about rising costs.
"Who isn't paying more?" Lane asked. "The bottom line is these folks have a right to come to court and be heard."
