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Anna Griffin/Staff Photographer
A Public Safety officer rides the new segway.[/caption]
Public Safety has patrolled the campus on foot, in golf carts, on bikes and in cars. Now students have begun spotting Public Safety officers wheeling their way across campus grounds on a new standup three-wheeler Segway transporter.
Many Seton Hall students have been commenting and wondering about the strange new vehicle. “The Segway increases our visibility while allowing officers to get around campus more quickly,” said Patrick Linfante, Assistant Vice President and Director of Public Safety.
“Seton Hall is a relatively small campus, 57 acres, with a lot of walkways, that are not conducive to patrolling by larger motor vehicles,” said Linfante.
Other schools in the country, including Howard University and the University of Maryland, have begun to incorporate Segways into their security transportation. According to Segway.com, more than 175 campuses across the United States currently use the self-balancing vehicle.
The University of Maryland conducted a case study on the efficiency of Segways that found the vehicles can be used for medical reasons, quicker response times and greater visibility.
“The Segway PTs have cut our response times by a factor of four in some cases, and we are seeing higher use rates,” said Captain John Brandt from the University Of Maryland Department Of Public Safety.
A Seton Hall student had a similar reaction.
“They seem more efficient and allow for a faster response time,” said Connor Cadrin, a freshman.
However, Hiyabu Habtemichael, also a freshman, had concerns about the vehicle’s usefulness.
“I think the Segways are kind of unnecessary,” Habtemichael said. “The money could have been used for other purposes.”
Linfante said there is only one Segway on campus now and Public Safety is not adding any other new forms of transportation. But he said that more closed circuit TV cameras, which are the security cameras on campus, will be added.
Cailee Valente can be reached at cailee.valente@student.shu.edu.
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