The Segways are among WSSU's newest crime fighting tools.
With shrinking budgets, campus and city police departments are working to find cheaper ways to maintain safety and effectiveness. Following the lead of Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s police department, WSSU recently added two Segway vehicles to the police motor pool. The environmentally friendly Segways will save the school $4,000 in maintenance and gas in their first year of use.
The motorized scooter-like vehicles, which drivers operate while standing up, also help break down communication barriers that police can encounter when patrolling in traditional police cruisers.
Segways can sustain speeds of 12 miles per hour. “Maintaining a constant speed of 12 mph would ensure a quick capture of any would-be criminals,” says WSSU Crime Prevention Officer Lt. Patrick Ansel.
