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Soaring Gas Prices Keep Michigan Police Department From Responding To Some 911 Calls

Not the pump from the story. Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Sarah Wilder Social Issues Reporter
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Gas prices have become so high that one Michigan police department says they have “blown through their fuel budget” and cannot respond to all 9-1-1 calls in person, ABC News reported Thursday.

The Isabella County Sheriff’s Office said the rising gas prices are forcing them to respond to some “non-emergency” 911 calls by phone rather than in-person. RELATED: (‘I Don’t Want To Be Part Of It Anymore’: Gas Station Owner Refuses To Sell Fuel Under Skyrocketing Prices)

“Isabella County Sheriff’s Office is feeling the pain at the pump as well,” Sheriff Michael Main said in a statement. “We have exhausted what funds were budgeted for fuel with several months to go before the budget reset.”

“I have instructed the deputies to attempt to manage whatever calls are acceptable over the phone. This would be non-in-progress calls, non-life-threatening calls, calls that do not require evidence collection or documentation,” he said.

The national average for a gallon of gas surpassed $5 a gallon Thursday.

Gas prices have reached record highs for the last seven days in Michigan, ABC News reports. On Monday, The Detroit News reported that gas prices had risen by 44 cents in the previous week in Michigan

“I want to assure the community that safety is our primary goal, and we will continue to respond to those types of calls,” Main said.