Alternative Vehicles Help Reduce Fuel Use
In an effort to decrease gas cons
umption by campus law enforcement, Howard University Police Chief Leroy James recently purchased six Segway® Personal Transporter (PT) i2 police units. The vehicles supplement his cruiser and mountain bike fleets.
“I love the fact that we don’t need to buy any gas for these units – just plug them in to recharge them,” says the chief. “We have even been able to park our cruisers more often, so we are also saving on fuel costs there.”
According to Segway, its PT is 11 times more energy efficient than the average American car and 17 times more energy efficient than a large SUV.
The biggest benefit for James and his department, however, has been the increased visibility of officers as they ride the Segway PTs. “The people on campus are acknowledging my officers and talking to them – building relationships – which is difficult to do from a patrol car,” he says. “This, in turn, has dramatically raised the morale of my officers. Now, because the units are in such demand, it is up to each shift commander to decide which officers will patrol on them.”
Chief James has assigned two Segway PTs to patrol the hospital and trauma center, and placed two on the main campus. The remaining two units are deployed to other campus sections, such as the law and divinity schools and to special events. They also use Segway PTs to respond to requests from students and faculty for escorts across campus or to parking areas during evening hours.
“We have outfitted the units with police decals, heavy-duty floor mats and reflective tape for visibility,” says Chief James. “We will also outfit the units with lights so we can begin using them on the midnight shift this summer. Each unit also has a cargo bag that our officers use to carry ticket books and any other equipment that they might need.”
Opening a Gas Station Can Provide Additional Department Revenue
In addition to changing its take-home policy, the Redlands (Calif.) Police Department has been selling gasoline from its city-owned fueling stations to other public and private fleets for several years. The department took in nearly $16,000 in such revenue in 2007, but those revenues could easily double or triple this year.
Redlands PD markets the sale of its fuel through its own and non-departmental Web sites and through a variety of other promotional and referral efforts, the department’s Quality of Life Director Gary Van Dorst explains. The fueling stations are conveniently located adjacent to the busy I-10 highway corridor, and one ribbon-cutting ceremony last year helped the department pick up several new fleet contracts.
“If we pick up one to two new fleet clients, it can be worth up to $100,000 for us based on the size of those fleets,” Van Dorst says. However, rising gas prices also hurt margins, so the revenue generated by the sale of gasoline won’t make up for the total cost of money spent on fueling departmental vehicles for the year.
“It’s another option and it can help offset the cost but we certainly have to take other steps to address the rising cost of gas,” he adds.
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Mike Scott is a Michigan-based freelance journalist who specializes in fleet management topics.
