KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) – The campus police department at one Indiana University regional campus has officers patrolling on mountain bikes to improve safety and create positive relationships.

IU Kokomo Police Chief Jerry Williams says officers on bicycles create more of a presence on campus and makes students feel safer. He also says officers on bikes often can respond more quickly because they can take more direct routes.

The department is using two bikes on loan from the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Police Department and is seeking grants to purchase its own bicycles.

Student officer Emily West, a senior in criminal justice, completed International Police Mountain Bike Association certification where she learned to shoot from a bike, how to conduct a chase on a bike and how to ride up and down stairs.