Cops in Smithfield aren’t going to answer 911 calls from hotels; they say those are usually hang-ups. And robbery reports? False alarms, mostly. Actually, misdemeanors altogether are going to be ignored — all until the city gives gas money to the PD.

The Smithfield, North Carolina town council nixed funding for patrol car fuel this year by 14 percent, or around $10,000 from the previous fiscal year. Police Chief Michael Scott says that that is only enough to keep the vehicles on the road until around February, at which point he is prepared to enforce some drastic new moves that would keep the department from going under — but will also leave a lot of the city’s exposed to crime that cops won’t even bother to investigate.

Scott has asked the town council to let him use the $30,000 the city allotted for office supplies and equipment repair so that he can keep the small fleet of patrol cars fueled through 2012. If they aren’t willing to budge, however, he says that the local law enforcement will be forced to ignore 911 reports and not bother with incidents that might not necessarily warrant police intervention.

To the town council today, Scott is expected to announce his own plan for pinching pennies within the department. The Johnston County council refused to shift the $30,000 from one budget to another, so in response Scott is suggesting that cops avoid 911 calls from hotels and payphones

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