Police Prius, the coolest hybrid since Robocop

At UCCS, the men in blue are going green.

The campus police have traded in one of their gas-hogging SUVs for a Toyota Prius hybrid cruiser, and the switch has caused more than a few sideways glances.

Many students were surprised and confused at the arrival of the latest addition to the UCCS Police motor pool.

"When we were looking for new vehicles it was when gas prices were topping $4 a gallon," said UCCS Officer Larry Darnall. "By policy, we fill them up at half tank, I've only had to fill it twice.

The latest edition of Toyota's gas-electric hybrid car is designed to be energy efficient even when running only the lights.

"Traditional lights kill batteries during traffic stops," he said. "It is for this reason the school chose energy efficient LED lights."

Darnall added that the car gets approximately 37 to 47 miles per gallon and costs only $8 to fill half a tank.

"Most of our speeds are slow speeds," he said. "By staying at these speeds, it uses the electric motor more." The car itself is nothing special - a white Toyota Prius, right off the showroom floor.

However, the vehicle was modified by the City of Colorado Springs to include a top of the line LED light bar, a one-person transport cage, and a Police band radio system.

The prisoner transport cage, which normally goes across the entire width of a standard police cruiser, only covers half of the back seat in the hybrid model. This smaller cage gives officers the option of moving the seat back and extending their space in the small vehicle.

Officer Darnall said that his new car is not quite as fast as its V8 counterparts in the CSPD, but it has the necessary get up and go. "I caught a Camero SS the other day that was involved in a street race," he said.

However the car handles equally well off the blacktop, according to Darnell, who said that a large part of the UCCS campus patrol rout is either dirt roads or paths. "Some of the bigger rocks and things, some of the ruts our 4-wheel drives do better in," Darnall said. "The car will get there if worse comes to worst."

UCCS is not the first university police force to commission a hybrid cruiser, but Campus Police said they are expecting other universities to call in and see how their motors are running. The police force is even looking into hybrid SUVs to replace the less-than-fuel efficient ones currently employed by the university.

Officer Darnall said that, although the Prius cruiser is not the most masculine police vehicle ever conceived, its good pickup, silent running and quality handling have earned it his seal of approval.

UCCS Ride-along

As I turned in the background check paperwork to the UCCS Police office and prepared for my one-hour ride along, I did not know what to expect. I have ridden with police officers a few times in the past but never while they were on duty.

I exited the office and moved toward the wind up toy-esque vehicle, overshadowed by the SUVs framing it. I was overwhelmed with how cooperative and hospitable the Campus Police department was. Everyone I met was very friendly, and Officer Larry Darnall continually went out of his was to ensure that I had all the information I needed to write my story and enjoy my adventure.

That being said, the looks on the faces of people when you pass them in a Prius police car take some getting used to. Some passer-bys respond with a smile and a thumbs-up, while others simply cannot stop laughing.

However, despite appearances and the funny buzzing noise that was constantly emanating from the engine, the vehicle has an overabundance in speed and handling capability that is quite worthy of the public's respect.

The Prius cruiser may look like a hippie-friendly wind-up car, but if it starts coming after you, just pull over and give up. Environmentally conscious or not, this thing can move.