The revelation last week that three more Port Arthur city employees have been stealing from the hand that feeds them should serve as a warning to others that the risk of getting caught is high and the price to pay may be even higher. Three workers in the Streets Division— men with good jobs — lost those jobs when an investigation revealed that gasoline had allegedly been stolen with a city fuel card. Now the case has been referred to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office and it’s possible that they could lose a lot more than their jobs.

These aren’t the first city employees to be caught biting the hand that feeds them. Last spring a city court clerk was fired after an investigation discovered that money paid as municipal court fines had been stolen and official court documents had been tampered with. Felony charges of theft by a public servant were possible in that case. That was at about the same time that a city employee who was fired for submitting fraudulent invoices for lawn mowing received a suspended two-year jail term with a requirement that she spend 180 days in the county jail and make restitution.

The good news is that these people are being caught. There is no better deterrent than the fear of being exposed as a criminal. We hope this is the last of the crooks on the city payroll. We applaud the city manager and staff for uncovering the pilferage and we encourage continued vigilance in protecting the city’s funds.