FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas Police Department (UAPD) recently received a $10,000 gift from the Wal-Mart & SAM’S CLUB Foundation for the purchase of two Segway Human Transporters. The two-wheeled, battery-powered vehicles will be used by officers patrolling the university campus.

“The purchase of these two vehicles will assist the department in maintaining an active presence on campus through very cost effective means.” said Larry Slammons, director of UAPD. “Wal-Mart has been a tremendous support to the university and its police department and clearly recognizes the importance of promoting environmentally conscious modes of transportation.”

UAPD Patrol Lieutenant Mike Burrus said the department began exploring the use of Segway transporters prior to the 2005 Wal-Mart Shareholders’ Meeting.

“Our officers began testing the Segways during the event and were very impressed with their mobility and the long battery life,” he said. “They discovered that the vehicles were able to cover approximately 25 miles on one battery charge.”

“After speaking with members of Wal-Mart’s special services department about the UAPD’s need for alternate forms of transportation, the request was made to the Wal-Mart & SAM’S CLUB Foundation, which was kind enough to give us the gift to purchase these transporters,” Burrus added.

The Segway transporter was first introduced to the market in 2001. It was described as the first two-wheeled, self-balancing, electric transportation device. The vehicle operates on two lithium-ion or NiMH battery packs and reaches a maximum speed of 12 mph.

Segway, Inc. lists more than two dozen colleges/universities that use human transporters, including the University of Florida, Duke University and Georgia Institute of Technology. The company’s Web site also lists a number of security teams that use the vehicles, including the Aventura Police Department and the U.S. Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

“For the cost of one gallon of gas, our officers will be able to recharge the battery packs on each Segway eight times and travel a total of 400 miles per vehicle,” Burrus said.

Burrus said the two transporters will be more visible on campus patrols after proper signage and training are complete.