Madison police say a spike in drive-offs, that leaving a gas stations without paying, has not followed the state's hike in fuel prices.
Wisconsin's statewide average price of gas is about $2.22, several cents higher than the national average of $2.15.
Driving-off without paying up is a misdemeanor theft charge, but police report no increase in the number of people trying to get away with it. Mike Hanson of MPD says, " We go out and educate various business owners on how to help us solve crimes because police can't be everywhere at once. One of the biggest things to catch a person driving-off by simply writing down license number."
Police say some stations have surveillance cameras. Others rely on large windows to watch customers.
People repeatedly convicted of the crime could lose their driver's license from six months to a year.
