By ALEXANDER LOPEZ
Student, faculty and public safety is the top priority for the Pima Community College Police Department, and with the addition of two new fully electric police package motorcycles, PCCPD plans to take it to the next level.
Pima received a grant from the US government, which awarded the college with $54,100 to be paid out throughout the next year. The grant started on Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30 for the purchase of the two police package electric motorcycles. These two will be added to one identical motorcycle received from the state government.
The motorcycles are equipped with special wiring harnesses for operating six LED lights and a siren kit with a public announcement system. Their stealthy sound and appearance allow officers to patrol alleys, pathways and close-cornered ares, with relative ease.
Two officers are currently trained for use of the vehicles, a third is to be selected from within the department because PCCPD isn’t currently recruiting new officers. PCCPD plans to use these motorcycles to make their presence more known in the community and on campus.
“These motorcycles allow our enforcement activities to be more versatile and inconspicuous, which makes campuses safer while at the same time maintaining their friendly atmospheres,” said Christopher Albers, chief of Pima Police. “Additionally, because they’re ‘green’ vehicles, they are easier and cheaper to maintain, which helps them to be in the field longer without having to be in the shop for maintenance.”
There are many intersections throughout the Pima community where access is very limited and restricted for traditional patrol cars. Vehicle and pedestrian crashes have occurred at many of these intersections, making response times and maneuverability very troublesome.
With the new electric motorcycles, this could be part of the solution, PCCPD plans to distribute the officers, amongst the five campuses, as an elite task force. The officers will also be patrolling the surrounding areas, to aid other agencies with traffic enforcement.
The department plans on also using these motorcycles for special enforcement projects such as additional parking lot patrols, campus and community presence. And aiding local law enforcements around the campuses. Pima has also taken additional measures to ensuring student and public safety by the addition of security cameras, special classroom door locks, and are making use of community resource officers.