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GREENSBORO — With gas prices continuing to skyrocket, the Guilford County Sheriff's Office is working to cut back on the fuel used to patrol the county.

Is this effort to save gas a good idea? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.

Sheriff BJ Barnes has been asking deputies to pull over and shut off their cruisers for 10 minutes each hour when they're not responding to calls. He hopes that small step will go a long way to curb the department's spending on fuel.

"We are trying to keep the gas costs as low as possible," Barnes said, "but we have a responsibility to answer calls and make sure our citizens are safe."

The department spends about $60,000 per month in fuel costs and travels an estimated

3 million miles per year responding to calls, serving legal papers, ferrying prisoners and other duties, officials said.

Even when parked to save gasoline, deputies are still working because they try to stop in areas where they anticipate crimes may occur — places with recent break-ins or spots frequented by a wanted suspect.

Deputies also are required to shut off their cruisers while out on a call and many use the time to file reports on the in-car computer.

"We've been told whenever possible to try and save gas," Cpl. W.S. Howell said. "We are spending our (own) tax dollars as well, and we try to conserve gas because these are hard times for everybody."

Howell, who is assigned to District 2, which covers the entire eastern part of the county, said it's not unusual for him to travel 25 miles or more to respond to a call in a remote area of the county.

"That's where our fuel

consumption is," Howell said, "... if we were in the city limits and having to go just

six blocks over, (fuel consumption) wouldn't be that big of a deal."

Sheriff's officials had no estimate on how much money the "stop and park" measure has saved, but experts say anything that keeps a vehicle from constantly running will help.

"It's an excellent idea, not from a cost view only, but it's also good for the environment," said Anne Tazewell, transportation program manager of the N.C. Solar Center at N.C. State.

"For every gallon of fuel burned, 19 pounds of carbon dioxide is created — that's the primary greenhouse gas responsible for climate change problems," she said.

One misconception, Tazewell said, is that starting an engine back up after turning it off would use more fuel.

"It's kind of like a computer monitor; the jolt of electricity used to turn it on isn't as much as what would be used to keep it running constantly — the same thing goes for an engine," she said.

Barnes said the sheriff's office is undertaking other cost-saving measures by buying more fuel-efficient vehicles, going longer between oil changes and issuing uniforms designed to last longer.

"We are using everything that we can to make sure we get the best bang for every buck we spend," Barnes said.

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals @news-record.com