Two new motorbikes have been welcomed to the Marshall University Police Department’s fleet of motor-vehicles.

As a gift from the city of Huntington, the campus police force debuted the two MUPD-Branded Harley Road King police bikes at the Marshall University football game on Saturday, Sept. 18.

The department hopes to use the motorbikes alongside the already established 13 police bicycles, four marked cruisers, and two unmarked cruisers; however, there are currently only two MUPD patrolmen with the proper credentials to operate the motorbikes.

Given the campus police department’s jurisdiction extending to locations adjacent to the Huntington campus, along with occasional permissions to collaborate with the larger Huntington Police Department, the motorbikes will be a more cost-efficient mode of police transportation.

These motorbikes will be a more fuel-efficient alternative to police cars, according to MUPD Patrolman Eddie Bradshaw.“We’re going to try to use those (motorcycles) because they are cost efficient,” Bradshaw said.

“They average about 43 miles per gallon, where a cruiser may get anywhere from 10 to 12 miles per gallon.”

The department plans to annually send one officer to learn how to operate a motorbike with the Huntington Police Department free of charge.

“It did not cost the University anything to send the two officers through the Huntington school,” Bradshaw said. “We are going to try to keep it through Huntington, so it does not cost the University.”

Students can expect to see these new motorbikes in university parades and other escorts around campus.