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Inside Furman is published monthly during the school year by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
Furman's pedal-pushing patrol
Public Safety officer David Enter will take his two manually operated wheels over four mechanical ones any nice day.
For starters, he can hear and see better on a bike. It's great exercise. And because a bicycle is less imposing and more accessible than a patrol car, Enter has more opportunities for interaction with students and with campus visitors.
Indeed, you could say that Furman's bike patrol is a higher education version of community policing. A successful law enforcement trend, community policing has helped reduce crime by taking officers out of patrol cars and putting them on the street, where they are less imposing and can meet and greet the public more easily.
On a college campus, bike patrols are particularly practical.
"We can patrol in places that may not be accessible to a car or a golf cart, such as around the dorms, the classroom areas and the lake," says Enter. "And we can work more efficiently at events such as May Day Play Day, lakeside concerts and football games. The bike is quiet and permits the officers to move quickly through congested areas."
Bob Miller, director of Public Safety, said that the department introduced the bike patrol last spring during Earth Day festivities. It proved popular with the environmentally conscious crowd.
Other campuses such as the University of South Carolina, College of Charleston, Clemson and the University of Georgia have recently adopted bike patrols in an effort to reduce crime, lower response time, control costs and improve relations between the campus community and the public safety staff.
"We have just one bike right now and are still in the experimental stage, but it has worked well," says Miller. "This year we are planning to add a second bike."
Each officer riding a bike must pass a fitness test that includes completing a five-kilometer course over hilly terrain. They must also complete a weeklong mountain biking police officer's training course.