Ramsey County creates gas siphoning report line

The Ramsey County Sheriff's office says there are more cases of people siphoning gas from cars, and it's asking the public for help.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher is asking citizens to help law enforcement officials identify gas siphoning suspects.

His office has set up a gas siphoning report line to help sheriff's deputies track the thefts. The theft patterns will help law enforcement develop prevention strategies and apprehend suspects.

Gas siphoning is difficult to track. Many citizens are not even sure if they have been victimized.

Siphoning gas
John "Jack" Michaud, foreman of the Ramsey County garage, demonstrates how the suspect's truck was rigged to siphon gas. The tube runs from the gas tank, through the floor of the cab, underneath the truck, and into the truck's gas tank.
MPR photo/Tom Weber

In January, the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office began a new program designed to identify and prosecute people who fill up at a gas station and leave without paying.

Through a secure website linking the service stations directly to the Sheriff's Office, stations can report information about the offender's vehicle as the gas drive-off occurs.

The Sheriff's Office then investigates these cases for prosecution.