Gas drive-offs are a big problem across the state line in Kansas City, Mo. – enough so that the city last week required all gas stations to start making customers prepay because of the drain on police resources.

But in Lawrence, the picture is different.

“I haven’t heard that that’s been an issue for the police department,” Interim City Manager David Corliss said.

In fact, police say there are signs the number of gas drive-offs could actually be down this year from 2005, and that gas drive-offs take a back seat to other issues in terms of eating up officers’ time.

Police dispatch records show there were an average of 5.08 gas drive-off calls per month in 2005, compared with 4.14 calls per month so far in 2006, according to Lawrence Police Department Sgt. Dan Ward. The department doesn’t track drive-offs separately from other thefts, but dispatchers have a special code for gas drive-offs that they enter into their computer system when the calls come in.

“To put it in perspective, on average the Lawrence Police Department responds to over 8,000 calls per month,” Ward said. “We have responded to 213 burglary alarms, 103 noise complaints and 168 noninjury accidents in the first 18 days of July alone.”

The dispatch numbers likely don’t reflect all of the thefts, in part because gas drive-offs are notoriously underreported. Gas station owners often don’t think the thefts will be pursued or prosecuted, said Tom Palace, executive director of the Kansas Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Stores Assn.

“They’re way up,” he said. “The big problem is people aren’t reporting it.”

Palace said he’d like to see more drive-off offenders prosecuted, or to have a system where someone caught on camera stealing gas could have his license recorded and be issued a ticket.

When Topeka recently tried to pass an ordinance similar to Kansas City’s, Palace’s group opposed it. The group took no position on a bill in the last Legislature that would have required prepaying statewide because Palace said some gas station owners favored the bill and others didn’t.

“I think when you do it in a city as opposed to a state, it makes it very difficult for the next town over,” he said.

Sam Sangam, owner of the Shell store at 1733 Mass., said he deals with a couple gas drive-offs per month, but that it’s not a big concern for him.

“There are a couple of bad apples always there, but with proper monitoring, I think it can be controlled,” he said. “There are a couple of suspect locations. We monitor the far-off pumps, which are usually the ones people use to drive off.”

Sangam said he thinks the prepay issue should be left for individual store owners to decide.

“It’s good for big cities, but at my store I see the same people every day,” he said. “Kansas City’s a different ball game.”