CLIFFORD TOWNSHIP — This small community in Susquehanna County is 45 miles from the command post of the search for accused cop killer Eric Frein. But deli...

CLIFFORD TOWNSHIP -- This small community in Susquehanna County is 45 miles from the command post of the search for accused cop killer Eric Frein.

But deli owner Melissa Henry says the near-empty lot at the local magistrate's office shows the manhunt has an impact here.

"I haven't seen any police activity," said Henry.

That magistrate's office processes traffic citations written by state police on Interstate 81 in southern Susquehanna County.

Records show police wrote virtually the same amount of tickets in the first eight months of this year as they did in the same time period in 2013.

But in September, when the Frein manhunt started, the office processed just 234 traffic citations, compared with 586 written in September 2013.

The manhunt following the shootings of two State Police troopers September 12th at Blooming Grove brought hundreds of troopers to the Poconos.

People in Clifford believe some of those patrolling the woods in Monroe and Pike counties had been patrolling I-81 near their township.

"You drive to work every single day on 81, and every single day on 81, that cop is sitting there behind that bridge, and all of a sudden, he's not there," said Rane Snyder, a stay-at-home mother in Clifford.

"Weekends, once in a while, you'll see a state trooper. But nothing during the week or anything," added Korey Elkins, who makes frequent trips on I-81 to Dickson City.

Figures obtained by the "Morning Call" newspaper from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania courts show traffic citations down 22% statewide from last September to this September.

In our region, the drop in tickets is even more pronounced, especially in counties where interstate highways are the busiest roads.

Citations are down 24% in Pike and Lackawanna counties, 31% in Monroe County, 43% in Luzerne County, and 47% in Wayne and Susquehanna counties.

"Does the Eric Frein search take priority over traffic enforcement?" asks former State Trooper Ray Hayes. "And, in this case, I would say yes."

Hayes is the head of campus security at Keystone College, and as a former officer in the state police, he understands the apparent shift from traffic enforcement to finding Frein.

"I think the public would be somewhat upset with that if that became the priority rather than seeking justice and bringing Eric Frein to justice," added Hayes.

But, the loss of more than 10,000 traffic tickets statewide in September will have a cost.

With an average ticket of $125, the loss of revenue would be $1.3 million.

That money helps fund local courts, fire and rescue, and public transportation.

"They should keep our state police who belong in this area, up in this area," said Melissa Henry, whose deli was robbed in May.

And since Clifford Township disbanded its police force two years ago, people here count on the state police for protection as well as traffic enforcement.

"It is a lot less safe without the cops out there," said Henry.

Court records show state police have made a few more arrests for violent crimes and other felonies during the Frein manhunt than they did in September of last year.