WEST WINDSOR – Thanks to a generous gift from the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, Mercer County Community College (MCCC) security officers will be patrolling campus in an environmentally-friendly way this year.

"We wanted to find something 'green,' and I knew the Sheriff’s Office had a couple of Segway’s they weren’t using," said Michael Flaherty, commanding officer for College Safety at Mercer. "We contacted them, and that’s how we got the ball rolling."

What will actually be rolling around Mercer’s West Windsor campus are two Segways, battery-powered, two-wheeled personal transportation vehicles donated to MCCC, made available through a special arrangement with the Mercer County Administration, the Mercer County Board of Freeholders, and the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office also provided the requisite safety and use training for Mercer security officers.

Flaherty said that bicycle patrols will be revived, and when combined with new Segway patrols, will give security officers more flexibility and better coverage of the campus.

"They are 'green,' and the officers stand taller and can see a lot more," Flaherty said. "We are getting greener, and getting more use out of the equipment we have."

Bryon Marshall, MCCC’s Director of Facilities, College Safety, and Security, said the addition of the new patrols will make a big difference in the efficient allocation of security resources, and he appreciates all of those who helped make it possible.

"I would like to thank the Sheriff's Office for providing the new equipment and necessary training, our security staff for the extra effort in learning how to use the new equipment, and the Mercer community for their contributions to a safe college environment," Marshall said.