In just a few weeks, the USF community and adjacent neighborhoods may notice a change in the way Public Safety officers patrol the area. In addition to cars and segway scooters, officers will soon patrol on motorcycles as well, to advocate more “foot patrol” among the officers on-campus, according to Public Safety Director, Captain Daniel Lawson.
According to Patrol Lieutenant Kevin Dillon, having officers outside of their cars and on motorcycles will give the community a “visible” reassurance of safety.
“They like seeing officers on foot. They like the idea of presence,” said Dillon. “If they see motorcycles and the officers, hopefully it’ll give them a sense that police are around.”
He believes this will also eliminate some of the “intimidation” factor students often feel when they see a patrol car driving around.
“They’ll be more likely to approach officers on campus sitting on a bench next to their bike,” said Lt. Dillon, as opposed to those officers who stand near their cars.
In addition, Lawson said this will help officers “respond quicker” in case of emergencies. For instance, if the officers were trying to chase a suspect on foot, they can jump off their bikes or segways and run to places cop cars cannot easily access.
For Nes-Martin Morales, a junior Biology student, having segways for officers was a good idea. “I guess I think they’re good cause they cover a lot of ground and can go in buildings,” said Morales. “They make a cop look less intimidating. They look friendlier.”
However, motorcycles on campus would make him feel just the opposite.
“Seeing them drive around campus like that it kind of disturbs the peace,” said Morales. “It seems like they’re taking a more aggressive approach with their presence on-campus. It’s like a cop on a bike is like, ‘Oh, I’m badass like that!’”
Allen Ocampo, a senior Accounting and Finance major also disagrees with motorcycles on campus.
“In an economic sense, motorcycles do use less gas than cars," He said. "I do see that. But I think it would disrupt the vibe on-campus. I feel like we’re already getting accustomed to them but to add motorcycles now? It seems we’re being patrolled on.”
According to Ocampo, giving officers motorcycles doesn’t relieve the “intimidation” factor among students but rather provokes it.
“It’s like feeding the fire," Ocampo said. "It doesn’t make you feel safer. It makes you more scared because[you think] they need more cops and mobility. People aren’t going to want to walk around the grass area if they see cops there.”
Although, Public Safety doesn't know when these motorcycles will come in, Lt. Dillon made it clear that the motorcycles have been purchased and the officers who will ride them have taken license tests. Now, it’s just a matter of time until Public Safety sees how well the community will respond and if these motorcycles will benefit the community as well as the officers say it will.
