One of the ways gas stations are trying to prevent people from driving off without paying is to employ a threat from a smiling face.

That face is on a sticker found at many gasoline pumps throughout the Miami Valley, a sticker that is part of a gas theft prevention program created through state legislation.

An unofficial tally of police incident reports from throughout the Miami Valley covering a period of May 2 through June 17 shows that area gas stations reported 30 incidents of drive offs.

Twenty of those incidents occurred at area United Dairy Farmer stores. Officials from UDF's corporate and Dayton offices did not respond to numerous attempts to get comments.

Police departments from Dayton to Clayton to Eaton to Xenia reported that motorists drove away without paying as little as $10 from a Shell on Bellbrook Avenue in Xenia, to $61 from Murphy Oil on Hoke Road in Englewood, to two incidents within two minutes totalling $97 from a UDF on Woodman Drive.

The gas theft prevention program is coordinated by the Buckeye State Sheriff's Association, of which every elected sheriff in Ohio is a member, the Ohio Petroleum Council, and the Ohio Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association.

The Ohio Petroleum Council is a voluntary trade association funded by dues that member gas stations pay to the American Petroleum Institute in Washington, D.C., according to Terry Fleming, OPC executive director. Members of the OPC are generally nationally-run chains.

Fleming said the OPC worked with the Sheriff's Association and the Ohio Petroleum Marketers, another group that targets privately-owned and franchised convenience stores, to make warning stickers available to any service station that wants to affix them on their pumps.

It is a voluntary program, and some stickers have worn off without being replaced, said Fleming.

"But I'd guess that about 80 percent of the gas stations in Ohio still have these stickers on their pumps," Fleming said.

Bob Cornwell, executive director of the sheriff's association, said the measures taken to prevent gasoline theft have been effective.

"We are working with convenience stores to go to pre-pay or credit card-only pumps," he said.

In 2003, Ohio House Bill 179 passed 99-0 in the House and 32-1 in the Senate.

The bill, enacted March 9, 2004, allows the authorities to suspend driver's licenses in cases of gasoline theft.

The maximum punishment previously had been that of any misdemeanor petty theft — six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Now, first-time offenders also can lose their licenses for six months and repeat offenders can lose their licenses for up to one year.

Ohio House Bill 179 was introduced in the 125th General Assembly by Rep. Larry Wolpert, R-Hilliard, of the 23rd district, which encompasses parts of Hilliard, Grove City, Dublin, and Franklin.

It was sponsored by state Rep. Kevin DeWine, R- Fairborn, whose district is part of Greene County; former Rep. Dixie Allen, R-Dayton, whose district was part of Montgomery County and Jean Schmidt, R-Cincinnati, now a U.S. House member whose district included part of Miami County.

The idea for the legislation and the stickers was presented by Wolpert after he saw something similar on pumps in Tennessee and West Virginia.

He explained that in 2002, he witnessed a gasoline theft in his hometown. Not long after that incident, he drove to Florida on vacation and saw the stickers at many gas stations along the way.

"Every time I pulled up for gas I would see these stickers on the pumps. They said that if you stole gas in Tennessee, for example, you would lose your license," said Wolpert, who, upon researching the stickers, found that gas theft prevention programs were already in effect in more than 20 states.

These stickers convey a warning to potential gas thieves. Cornwell explained that the signs are working because they get the message out: "We have seen positive effects with the stickers."

The stickers depict a gas pump and a sheriff's deputy holding a driver's license. Each sticker is accompanied by the statement: "If you steal this (referring to gasoline), we're going to take this," referring to your driver's license.

Since the law went into effect more than four years ago, 308 people have had their licenses suspended out of 458 convicted of gas theft, according to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

The Ohio BMV said the suspensions are based on past criminal record, courtroom demeanor, and ability to make restitution.

According to Cornwell, there are no changes expected in the future of the program.

Wolpert explained that Senate-amended parts of the bill, which deal with environmental audits, will expire in 2009, but the license suspension section is permanent.

People seem to be happy with the bill and it seems to be working, he said. "However, since the bill was passed, the price of gas has almost doubled and I hardly see any stations anymore that let you pump before paying."

Contact this reporter at smaloy@

DaytonDailyNews.com.