UKPD Blue Goes 'Green'

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 21, 2009) − The University of Kentucky Police Department is going green and doing its part to promote UK's sustainability efforts with the acquisition of two new electric motorcycles
 
UKPD purchased two new Vectrix VX-1 vehicles this summer and trained 10 officers in the use of the 100-percent electric motorcycles that have zero emissions. Ten more officers are scheduled to be trained by the end of the fall semester.
 
“The vehicles will help enhance our foot and bicycle patrols on campus by increasing our mobility and decreasing our response times to better serve the university community,” said Interim Chief of Police Joe Monroe.
 
The Vectrix motorcycle has a top speed of 62 miles per hour, accelerates from 0-50 mph in 6.8 seconds, and has an average range of 35-55 miles on a single charge. Each motorcycle requires only about three hours to fully charge and costs approximately one cent per mile to operate, and the vehicles are expected to save the department nearly $10,000 per year in fuel costs per unit.
 
UK Police joins about a dozen other police agencies across the country in deploying the all-electric motorcycles in an effort to reduce air pollution and save energy.  The Vectrix is now being used by law enforcement agencies internationally including the New York Police Department, Penn State University Police, Amherst College Police, Eastern Kentucky University and Scotland Airport Police in the United Kingdom.
 
“Besides the benefits associated with saving energy, the community will find the police officers more approachable because of the curiosity in finding out more about the new concept, resulting in more interaction with the public,” said Monroe. “The units will ultimately pay for themselves in the first year due to the fuel savings and reduced maintenance costs associated with a normal patrol vehicle.”