OU police officers maneuvered around obstacles and sat in classrooms last week in preparation for their first patrol on OU’s newest police vehicle.
During the summer, the OU Department of Public Safety approved the purchase of a Segway Personal Transporter, and now the department is training several of its officers to use the machine on OU’s campus.
The department has already trained six officers to use the Segway, but it has not put the machine into daily operations, Lt. Bruce Chan said.
OUPD has already used the Segway at OU football games, where it got a lot of attention.
Chan said the device attracts more fanfare than any other OUPD patrol car or bicycle.
“The last time we bought a Crown Victoria, it didn’t make the news,” he said.
The Segway, which costs about $6,000, allows officers to move quickly and go places police cars can’t.
“The mobility of a Segway is nearly as good as somebody on foot,” Chan said. “It’s another means of transportation that gets us into areas of campus that are not accessible to patrol cars.”
The Segway is an alternative to traditional modes of transport like patrol cars or bicycles.
However, Chan said the Segway is not meant to replace bikes or cars; it will be used in addition to more traditional methods of transportation.
“Bicycles can still do some things that Segways cannot, and Segways can do some things that bicycles cannot in certain circumstances,” Chan said.
Master Police Officer Greg Vollmer is training officers to use the Segway. He said reactions to the new vehicle have been positive, and officers are interested in using the Segway on patrol.
Training consists of a Segway-sponsored safety video, a classroom portion on how to operate the machine and a practical session in which officers must negotiate obstacles while on the Segway.
Vollmer said he was one of the first officers to be trained to use the device, which is controlled by the movements of the person riding it. He said the device is relatively easy to use and provides many benefits for the department.
These benefits include allowing officers to have better endurance and mobility and providing the department with a more environmentally friendly vehicle than patrol cars.
“I’m sold on them,” Vollmer said.
The Segway also makes the officer who is riding it more visible and accessible to the public, because it gives the officer additional height as well as tools such as a siren and flashing lights, Vollmer said.
“Getting out there and talking to people is great for us,” he said.
Chan said the department does not have any immediate plans to purchase another Segway.
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EN 3 years, 7 months ago
Awesome.
mfhayes 3 years, 7 months ago
Haha, so they had all this training for OUPD's one segway.
Until there is an army of terminator police, I'm unimpressed.