police are keeping a close eye on santa fe. the department is already down more than 80 officers statewide ... and if lawmakers decide to make more cuts, it could affect how they fight crime in your area. it's tonight's big story. we're realists. this is not the year to ask for raises, this is not the minute thumbnail 10:00 pm year to ask for new bells and whistles. acting state police captain, major robert schilling tells me with the force down 82 officers due to attrition - they're having to get creative to maintain quality service to new mexicans. and the thought of more cuts from santa fe this legislative session is unpleasant at best. future cuts are going to be tough especially given the huge dynamic that we have with fuel consumption. the threat from rising fuel prices could be even more damaging than budget cuts. state police spend an estimated quarter million dollars a month just on gas. that uptick -even 10 cents a gallon for us is a huge impact on our bottom line in our ability to provide that service. that's one of many reasons the agency hopes lawmakers keep funding flat - the alternative could affect the people of new mexico. as the manpower decreases our ability to provide timely service as in response time to calls for service, specialty teams such as swat are all affected. at worst, schilling says minute thumbnail 10:01 pm state police would have to switch from proactive to reactive policing.
