PONTIAC - The 40 troopers of Illinois State Police District 6 cover 2,500 square miles each day in Livingston, McLean and DeWitt counties. The rising cost of fuel can't get in the way.

"Operationally - where the rubber meets the road - we're not going to cut back. The message we've been given (from state headquarters) is that service to the public is not to be altered," said District 6 Cmdr. Sue Jansky.

That means careful choices.

"These are taxpayer dollars, and we mean to use them wisely," Jansky said, so she and her colleagues have been tightening the belt in administrative areas.

For example, officers heading to Springfield headquarters try to carpool. Other meetings are by teleconference.

And this scenario is repeated in varying degrees at the state's 20 other state police districts, said Master Sgt. Brian Ley, an ISP spokesman based in Springfield. With 2,100 officers - each assigned a vehicle, and most spending the bulk of their day driving Illinois highways - fuel costs are not taken lightly.

District 6 has nearly 50 vehicles in its fleet and officers log quite a few miles, said Jansky. "It would not be unusual for officers to drive 200 to 300 miles in a shift, depending upon their activities," she said.

The agency is among the most affected by rising fuel costs. Others with large fleets are the Illinois Department of Transportation and the state Department of Corrections, Ley said.

But Ley echoed Jansky and the District 6 sentiment. "We don't and will not compromise public safety because of fuel costs," he said. In particular, the officers are charged with enforcing speed laws, DUI rules, ensuring cars aren't following too closely, and making sure people use seatbelts and proper lane usage.

One way they've saved fuel costs is to use stationary laser guns, known as lidar, as opposed to radar to track speeders. That said, state police fuel expenses have nearly doubled in just four years.

In 2004, the agency spent about $3.9 million from its fuel fund, which also pays for oil and antifreeze supplies. By 2007, the cost had jumped to $6.5 million.

The estimated 2007 figure is $7.7 million. "And that was before the $4-a-gallon prices had started," said Ley.