State highway patrols struggle with big gas bills

HELENA, Mont. – In big, wide-open Montana, a state trooper might have to drive more than 100 miles to answer an emergency call, and routinely puts several hundred miles on the odometer in a day.

With gasoline at $4 a gallon, all that driving is tearing up the Highway Patrol’s budget.


It is the same story elsewhere around the country, especially in big, sparsely populated Western states with vast stretches of highway. State police agencies nationwide are scrambling to reduce gasoline use and find the money to cover their costs. Some are beginning to worry that they will have to cut back on hiring officers.

For the Highway Patrol in Montana