CNHI
August 27, 2010 —
We tip our hat to Morehead State University Police Chief Matt Sparks and his staff for the decision to apply for federal help in acquiring two Segway Personal Transporter vehicles for campus patrols.
An officer on a battery-powered two-wheeler won’t chase down many speeders but he or she definitely will be more visible and more accessible to students and others who depend on campus police for assistance or information. Police departments already using the machines say they often result in citizens initiating contact out of curiosity about the contraption itself.
Chief Sparks says the Segways will help the MSUPD save money, gasoline, and wages while reducing the University’s carbon footprint and assisting campus-wide efforts to be more environmentally friendly.
The machines were provided by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) through its Small, Rural, Tribal, and Border Regional Center (SRTB-RC).
SRTB-RC is among the public safety programs hosted by The Center for Rural Development in Somerset through the efforts of U. S. Rep. Hal Rogers, our congressman who is very influential in Washington’s funding choices.
Officers riding a Segway will stand about eight inches above a crowd and can move on the self-balancing vehicles at speeds equivalent to a sprint, allowing them to patrol the same areas in a third of the time, according to the folks who trained MSU’s officers.
This is another example of how law enforcement is changing and so is the technology needed to serve and protect our citizens, regardless of whether they live on campus or in one of our neighborhoods.
MSU is rightly proud of its national reputation as a safe campus. And now it can be even safer…and greener.
