CANON CITY, Colo.—Most Fremont County deputies are no longer taking patrol cars home with them or responding in person to some non-emergency calls because of a budget crunch.
The take-home policy allowed deputies to respond to emergencies quicker, but Sheriff Jim Beicker says the department can’t afford the fuel costs.
Beicker says off-duty officers will have to go to headquarters to pick up a patrol car and respond to emergencies.
He says in non-emergency calls such as civil disputes and criminal mischief, deputies will take the information over the phone instead of responding in person.
Beicker says his budget took a hit when federal immigration authorities and state prison officials drastically reduced the amount of jail space they leased from the county to temporarily house inmates.
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Information from: Canon City Daily Record,
