Security is a rudiment of any society. It’s why there are few things more important to fund than our police departments. In recent years, some county departments have merged to increase efficiency, while others have worked together to share resources. The mergers reflect an understanding that every little bit counts.

But Pennsylvania residents couldn’t be faulted if they got upset over an audit of PennDOT that found $4.2 billion in revenue meant to go toward repairing roads and bridges has been diverted to other areas of government during the past six years. A total of $2.45 billion of that money went to state police to help pay for coverage in communities lacking local law enforcement.

Those funds are raised through Pennsylvania’s gas tax — which, at 57.6 cents per gallon, is the nation’s highest. The understanding has been that this revenue would pay for road projects and infrastructure improvement across the state.

“There’s this inherent deal,” state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said Thursday while discussing the PennDOT audit. “Yes, we’re going to pay this high gas tax, but that money is going to go toward improving our roads. And when people see that not all of it is going toward those projects, that’s when people get upset.”

Not only might residents subjected to roads filled with potholes be angry, but the state constitution dictates money raised through the gas tax — known as the Motor License Fund — is to be used solely for work on bridges and highways, including construction, reconstruction, maintenance and repair.

And it’s not as if the money has been diverted because the state’s infrastructure is in great condition. According to the auditor general, the state has more than 2,800 bridges that are considered structurally deficient. Additionally, the state’s bridges average more than 50 years of age, while hundreds are reclassified each year as being in poor condition due to age, wear and tear. And the state’s highway system is one of the largest in the nation.

We again stress the importance of funding for law enforcement, but the state should find other means of paying for those costs, rather than taking the funding intended for highways and bridges. Both issues affect the safety of Pennsylvanians.

Gov. Tom Wolf has made several proposals for funding state police. Originally, he proposed a flat $25 fee per resident to pay for local policing. After that concept failed to gain enough support in the state legislature, he proposed a sliding scale per-capita fee with a range of $8 to $166 that would be based on a municipality’s population. Some municipalities have complained that such a fee could cost them up to half of their operating budget. You’d complain about the price, too, if you’ve been getting state police-caliber security for free.

Funding for state infrastructure and law enforcement should both be prioritized. But money for one of these issues shouldn’t be siphoned off to pay for the other, especially considering that the state’s constitution explicitly states how funds raised by the Motor License Fund should be utilized.