UNL officers trading cars for Segways

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By MELISSA LEE / Lincoln Journal Star

It won’t be long before University of Nebraska-Lincoln police officers are tooling around campus on a new kind of two-wheeled device: Segway Personal Transporters.

UNL Police recently purchased four of the gadgets, Capt. Carl Oestmann said. Officers are wrapping up training and will debut them in the next two weeks.

The department hopes the electric devices will help save on fuel as well as reflect an effort to make officers more accessible.

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Aaron Pembleton, a UNL Police officer, demonstrates his Segway to passer by Larry McCarthy at 17th and Q streets Friday afternoon. The department recently purchased four Segways for patrol and special events. "These things are just silly fun. And a great tool, too," Pembleton said. (William Lauer)

Aaron Pembleton, a UNL Police officer, demonstrates his Segway to passer by Larry McCarthy at 17th and Q streets Friday afternoon. The department recently purchased four Segways for patrol and special events. "These things are just silly fun. And a great tool, too," Pembleton said. (William Lauer)

“You’re a lot more approachable on one of these things than in a vehicle,” Oestmann said.

So far, he said, the Segways are proving effective patrolling tools.  Unlike cars, they can reach just about every area of campus, even inside buildings.

They also move easily up and down parking garage ramps and, because they position officers about 8 inches off the ground, give a better view of their surroundings, Oestmann said.

That could be especially beneficial in large crowds like those at home football games. This fall, officers on Segways will patrol at Memorial Stadium and at other special events, Oestmann said.

And while bicycles help keep officers in shape, Segways could be useful for preserving their energy during longer, more demanding shifts.

“The officers just enjoy it,” Oestmann said. “They’re very anxious to get these Segways out on patrol.”

UNL officers will continue to patrol campus in cars and on bikes. But the Segways will trim car use, saving fuel costs and reducing wear-and-tear on the vehicles, Oestmann said.

In fact, as gas prices rise, officers already have been asked to use bikes when possible and to use such fuel-saving tips in their cars as turning them off during idle times.

Those efforts have saved the department about $900 in the past two months, Oestmann said.

“That’s a pretty good trend, and the Segways should be another way to continue that trend,” he said. “We feel they’re going to be a benefit for us.”

UNL Police opted for the i2 Police models, which a Segway customer service representative said retail for $5,875.

The Lincoln Police Department also has shown interest in the fuel-saving Segways.

In May, the department’s Northeast Team got two Segways to try out for a week.

Chief Tom Casady said then he expects to see more demand for Segways, given rising gas prices.

Reach Melissa Lee at 473-2682 or mlee@journalstar.com.