By Rebecca Goldfine,Staff Writer

NORWAY – To save gasoline, Norway police will be walking Main Street and nearby streets more frequently, Chief Rob Federico said Thursday.

Starting this week, Federico asked the department’s officers to include one foot patrol in every shift. “The one hour you’re walking is one hour you’re not driving,” Federico said. “Multiply that by four officers, and that’s four hours a day.”

Police departments around the country are devising strategies to conserve fuel. Budgets are being strained as a result of increasing gas prices, and police must cut costs. Some are remapping patrol routes to be more efficient, and many officers are no longer idling their patrol cars.

The increased presence of police on the street will also make them more accessible, Federico said.

“Sometimes it is nice for citizens who may want to talk to an officer for something,” he said, adding that if people see an officer walk by every day, they could feel more comfortable approaching him with a problem.

And officers, too, will be more alert to potential trouble. “If you are walking Main Street every day, it’s easier to spot something that is out of place,” Federico said.

Like an underage smoker, for instance. On Wednesday, Sgt. James Ventresca was on foot patrol and noticed a juvenile smoking a cigarette. When Ventresca approached him he smelled alcohol on the smoker’s breath, the officer reported.

When Ventresca investigated the apartment where the boy had been hanging out, he discovered another underage drinker and arrested two adults on charges of furnishing alcohol to minors and providing a place for minors to drink.

Federico said patrols will deter criminal mischief, and then smiled before adding, “like pumpkin smashing.”