A consultant will let Ingalls know whether its police officers are gas hogs.

Some town residents have criticized Ingalls police officers for wasting gas by driving their vehicles outside the town and county.

People, in fact, have jokingly referred to the department as “the Ingalls State Police,” because officers are spotted driving everywhere, Ingalls resident Wilson Conner said.

Also, some residents question why the police department makes up about half the town’s $400,000 budget.

Police Chief Rick Martin said his department does not waste money. But the majority of the town council members said they wanted an outside opinion to put community concern to rest.

“I want someone to say everything we’ve done is right, or it’s wrong but can be corrected,” council member Tim Green said.

The town council Monday voted 4-to-1 to hire consultant Jeff Mastin to review the police department’s policies and spending practices. Council member Cheryl Martin, the police chief’s wife, said hiring the consultant was not necessary and voted against it.

Mastin is 21-year veteran of the Indianapolis Police Department and practicing attorney. He has worked with several central Indiana police departments to help them save money and modify their policies and procedures.

He will charge the town between $2,000 to $5,400 for his work, which should take about a month starting in May, he said. Town officials are not sure where they will get the money to pay for his services.

They will have to look at the budget to find areas they can take money, Ingalls Clerk Treasurer Kip Golden said.

Most council members justified the expense by saying they need to know what changes the police department needs to make. This way the council can address the concerns of community members, Green said.

For instance, council member Richard Corbin questions why the police department needs a budget of about $200,000, which is nearly half the town’s budget.

Council member Doug Dowden said this is a fair amount for a town of Ingalls’ size. For example, Lapel’s police department uses about 50 percent of the town budget.

The amount Ingalls police spend on gasoline is small, Cheryl Martin said. Gas is about 9 percent of the police department’s budget.

Each shift is limited to five gallons a day, Rick Martin said. He also disputed claims that his officers drive all over without work-related reasons.