10 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM News WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2008
TRANSPORTATION
Safety office rolls onto campus
BY MANDY EARLES
mearles@kansan.com
The KU Public Safety Office has begun using two newly-bought, two-wheeled vehicles known as Segways.
Security officers, patrol officers and administration from the safety office said they will use the Segways for anything from patrolling the campus area to going to meetings. The Campus Safety Advisory Board purchased the Segways for $6,000 each through a competitive bidding process.
George Lewis, Prairie Village senior, was on the advisory board when the decision to buy the Segways was made. Lewis said he voted for the Segways because it was a good investment for the campus police, but said he had not seen the Segways in use.
Lewis said the Segways were purchased through Student Senate's reserve account, which consists of $1.50 from each student for the Campus Safety Fee.
Schuyler Bailey, captain of the police support unit, said the Segways allowed officers the ability to interact with students.
"People stop the officers and ask about them, which creates a positive interaction between us and our community," Bailey said.
Bailey said the Segways also benefited the environment. He said the units were battery operated and could run about five hours without recharging. He said the Segways also didn't create any noise pollution.
"Anytime we use a Segway in lieu of a car, we can save money," Bailey said.
Kayleen Fleming, Manhattan junior, said she has not seen the Segways but thought the units were more eco-friendly than cars. She said she was still not sure how practical they were for the KU police.
"I'm just not sure how they would arrest someone on a Segway," Fleming said.
Clint Wiseman, Ottawa junior, who also has not seen the Segways,
felt they were impractical for a campus. He said he felt the police could just use bicycles instead of spending so much money for the Segways.
Bailey said the Segways offered advantages over bike patrol. He said the Segways required about two hours of training, whereas bicycle training required more hours of training and certification.
Wiseman said he thought the police were headed in the right direction as far as students noticing the campus police, but still thought there were some downfalls to the Segways.
"I just don't think I could take an officer on a Segway seriously," Wiseman said.
Along with their environmental efforts and regularly recycling, the safety office has purchased an electric car. Bailey said the department also had new marked police cars that are alternative fuel capable.
Though the Segways have helped the safety office become more environmentally friendly and lower its
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Edited by Brieun Scott
Officer Damon Williams, of the KU Office of Public Safety, demonstrates one of the new Segways the office is using to patrol campus. The Segways can go over grass and pavement, but cannot go up or down stairs.
fuel costs, increasing the use of students. the Segways will help the department improve its interactions with