University Police upgrade

 While walking on your way to class, you may have crossed paths with a University Police officer on the department’s new T3 “personal mobility vehicle.”  

“Our Chief nicknamed it R2D2,” University Police Capt. Fernando Solorzano said.

While University Police say the $7,000 T3 purchased for the department by CSULB Physical Planning Facilities Management has significant technological and environmental advantages, students wonder whether the campus police would have been better off sticking to bicycles.

Not only is the cost of a fully-equipped T3 more than seven times that of a bike, some students say the new device’s look isn’t helping the officers’ image.

“They look ridiculous,” said sophomore marine biology major Jessie Roussos. 

“How can you take a cop like that seriously?” said junior creative writing major Tommy Coleman. “It’s worse than a bicycle cop.” 
 According to Solorzano, using the electric T3 in place of one patrol car will cut fuel costs and help the environment. 

Solorzano emphasized the strengths of T3 over a patrol bike — they have greater stamina in a pursuit, have better illumination capabilities than bikes, give officers a slight height advantage, can carry a continuous speed of 25 mph, and help officers conserve energy, according to Solorzano.  

 “They allow us to communicate with the student community,” Solorzano said. “Students are curious to see what they are and what they can do.” 

Communications major Dave Perram, however, didn’t share this curiosity.

“It can’t go upstairs or on rough terrain,” Perram said. “It seems more like a leisurely activity.”

While the T3 can handle a curb, it cannot handle a full flight of stairs. According to Solorzano, an officer on casual patrol may use the elevators in the Student Union.  

“But if an officer got a call on the second floor of the Union,” Solorzano said, “it would be quicker to stop at the first floor and run up a flight of stairs.” 

Officer Chris Peters, one of the two officers assigned to the T3, gave an example of its superiority to a bike. According to Peters, the campus police received a call about a suspicious person looking through car windows last week. 

While there were already officers on bikes patrolling the scene when Peters arrived, his T3 gave him a height boost, allowing him to immediately find the suspect. 

 “I was able to see over the cars because of the height advantage,” Peters said. 

 The suspect turned out to be a lost student looking for his Honda Accord.

Solorzano pointed out that, while chasing someone, the T3 can maintain a steady 25 mph speed, while an officer on a bike would lose stamina.

Some students are still skeptical. 

“It seems easier to get away from them on a T3 than on a bike,” Perram said. 

While Officer Peters enjoys the benefits the T3 provides, he adds that he still prefers the patrol bike. 

“The T3 is an excellent tool for getting across campus quickly, but I prefer the bike for exercise – to maintain physical shape,” Peters said.

As part of a new program, there will always be two officers designated on either the campus police’s T3 “personal mobility vehicle” or a patrol bike around campus, according to University Police Capt. Fernando Solorzano. 

Solorzano also stressed community outreach as a major part of the decision. 

“When the company promoted the [T3], we got the idea of community outreach,” Solorzano said. “It’s easier to get around the parking structure and on campus than in a patrol car.”

Is there a larger future in campus police for the T3? Maybe. 

“I’d love to get my hands on another T3,” Solorzano said. “I hope to purchase one more in the future for the parking officers.”