If you’ve asked yourself this question when you have seen the newest police vehicles on campus, you probably aren’t alone. The Police Department at the college recently purchased two T3 Motion, Personal Mobility Vehicles, PMVs.
The T3 Motion benefits the Police Department in several areas. The use of a PMV increases police presence; people take notice of the new design of personal transportation. The T3 helps an officer on “foot patrol” be more mobile for a faster response to calls of service while at the same time he or she can move into areas a motor vehicle cannot.
The T3 keeps an officer in a position to be approachable by the public, and students and employees want to approach and see what it is. It also allows people to feel free to communicate with the police casually. By elevating the officers on the T3’s platform, the machine increases visibility for the police on campus and lets the officers increase their field of view.
The new vehicles let officers navigate within the campus, and it even fits in the elevators. In addition to functioning within the campus grounds, it can be used in the parking areas. Using the T3 helps officers to cover a wider area in less time, therefore, providing more coverage and increasing police presence. Another advantage of the T3 is that it increases the element of surprise and gives the officer an advantage over criminals. In the parking lots, officers can move between and safely around vehicles. An officer using the T3 can see over the tops of parked vehicles therefore, spotting activity around vehicles much faster than an officer using a motor vehicle.
The T3 is much cheaper and greener to operate than a motor vehicle. It costs approximately 10 cents a day to operate this electric vehicle. The benefit of the T3 is equivalent to 500 miles per gallon and the savings of more than $25,000 per year over gas operated vehicles. The T3 is a zero gas emissions, clean energy vehicle. But, no, you can’t have a ride.
