In an effort to become environmentally friendly, the University Police Department has adopted a mode of battery-powered, three-wheeled transportation.
The T3 is a Segway-like electric vehicle, but with a stronger, sturdier build. Officers ride it standing up and can help monitor areas of the campus that aren’t accessible in patrol cars, such as parking structures, the perimeters of university buildings and housing residencies.
“We can be more effective on the T3s in getting to locations which would require parking the patrol car (with) quite a ways … to walk,” University Police Department Sergeant Larry Ponting said.
The vehicles, made by the company T3 Motion, cost anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000 each and come complete with lights, sirens and a glove box for emergency equipment. The UPD purchased two T3s about two months ago.
The T3s can climb hills and travel up to 18 miles per hour, which is faster than the bicycles that the department also use as a means of patrolling the campus.
Commander Lori Hashim said that the T3s allow for positive, approachable encounters with students and faculty. Officers frequently comment on how many students stop them and want to talk about the new mode of transportation, she said.
“It really opens the waves of communication,” Hashim added.
The T3s are not a replacement for the conventional patrol car that police rely on for their speed when traveling long distances, she said.
“It is an alternative mode of transportation that helps lessen pollution,” she said. “This is obviously a way that Cal Poly further promotes ‘going green’ and we are all really excited about it.”
Sidewalks and narrow paths on campus are a few of the newly-accessible areas for police riding the T3s. Ponting said that police officers are fortunate to be able to reach smaller areas on campus where people walk alone in the dark.
“We can provide some safety and security for students,” he said. “We know that students take alternative routes because they can mean shorter trips, so we try to patrol spots not lit on campus in the evening the best we can.”
Ponting said that part of a police officers’ duty is getting off the vehicles and communicating with the students, staff and faculty members.
“We want to make ourselves seen more frequently and not just by the wheel of a car,” Pointing said. “I think it’s a huge opportunity to be able to be more personal with everybody … you can just drive right up to students and talk.”
Hashim said that overall student feedback is positive.
“Most of the students that police officers have talked to just love the vehicles. We now have the chance to talk to students who probably wouldn’t have stopped if we weren’t on the T3s,” she said.
Dear Cal Poly,
I have an idea for how we can lessen pollution on campus, go "green", and save money: OFFICERS COULD WALK OR RIDE A BIKE INSTEAD OF DROPPING TEN GRAND ON A SEGWAY. This has to be the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen Cal Poly spend money on in my four years here, especially since we are allegedly in a budget crisis. I realize that the cops who ride these things around can now hand out more parking tickets with a gusto, which must be a major source of funding because Cal Poly never resists a chance to stick it to students by writing them up for a $25 ticket if we are 5 minutes late on a parking meter, but we have to draw the line somewhere.
S. Paul Rhodes
Bud, its the Parking officers and CSOs who hand out most parking tickets, and they dont use these things. These are for getting places where speed and maneuverability are needed where cruisers cant go to assist the public. By the way, if its $15 dollars for a expired meter, not $25 and I doubt it was just 5 minutes late. As for bikes, THEY ALREADY USE BIKES (see caps lock is effective). They are also used for assisting injured mountain bicyclists since they can go up on hill and uneven terrain to give first aid. So, actually do some research before spouting uneducated opinions.
Do we have a toy expense account set up for our campus police officers? If not, how else is this $20,000 expenditure covered? Is it from writing more on-campus skateboard violation fees? This is the only time I have seen one of these T3s in use. And when the officer was trying to drive away, he couldn’t push the machine back onto the path and almost fell off. It didn’t increase my confidence of our campus patrolmen.
Also, someone please explain how the purchase of this machine will “help lessen pollution”? As clearly stated in the article, it does not replace any traditional patrol cars. Just like adding a Prius to a collection of Hummers, these won’t stop global warming, Cal Poly.
I saved my optimism for last– I think it is awesome that the T3s will be used at night to increase security in poorly lit areas. Using the machines as a way to make students feel safer is the only way this “investment” can be justified.
seriously, how is this even sustainable?? this article totally just greenwashed its way into justifying the absurd purchase of wasted taxpayer money. these things use electricity from coal burning to do something that can be done FOR FREE such as WALKING or BIKING. this not sustainable or green even in the loosest sense. how about we put our money to good use, such as allowing skateboarding on campus, which i have been told numerous times is “all about money.” stop taking our money for ridiculous reasons like skateboarding and parking and spending them on unneccesary and “greenwashed” items.
These T3 things aren’t segways. Segways only have 2 wheels and balance themselves using gyroscopic control sensors. T3s are nothing more than tricycles with motors slapped on them (so why do they cost $10,000??). Even more amusing is seeing that the cover story of today’s newspaper is 4 officers busting some guy driving a popo power wheel escalade on campus. I guess they don’t want anyone stealing their thunder and they want to be the only ones driving electric vehicles made for children on campus.
Why was no one complaining about this two months ago? Is this the first time you found out about the new toys or have you just been reminded that this is another opportunity for you to complain?
I don’t think students realize that our police officers don’t just arrest skateboarders, bike thieves, intoxicated partygoers, and people with drugs. They respond to first-aid calls, often on difficult to get to parts of campus. If these T3’s get them there a minute earlier, that’s a minute less that you’re waiting for medical attention to show up.
They want to be approachable. They’re people to, and they’re very knowledgeable to talk to. Yes, I guess it’s a very expensive icebreaker, but the T3’s aren’t just a conversation-starter. I do think that 8k-10k is a little spendy for one of these toys–I was thinking more in the 1-2k range. Perhaps quads/atvs would have been a more affordable.
Perhaps the University Police would be willing to publish the trade study they did that determined the best fleet “vehicle.”
id rather my money go to another teacher than waste it on something a bike could do.
It’s kinda cute.
I think this is the competitor to the Xtreme Green Sentinel — http://www.xgpinc.com/products/sentinel.php