After scattered reports of riders being launched from Segway Inc.’s malfunctioning human transporters, University Police suspended the use of its six Segways last week, dodging the injuries six human transportees have suffered nationwide.

Reports of cracked skulls and broken wrists swept through Segway Inc.’s New Hampshire-based headquarters faster than a futuristic gyroscope-balanced machine maxing out at 10 mph last week, prompting the company to recall the 23,000 wheeled menaces shipped out since 2001.

When University Police got word of a software glitch causing Segways to suddenly reverse direction without notice, throwing unwitting riders to the ground, police immediately removed the team of blue-shirted student auxiliary police force from the vehicles and stopped officer patrols, said spokesman Capt. John Brandt.

Until last week, police and other staff could be seen towering above crowds as they zoomed down city and university streets, providing late-night escorts and maneuvering through crowds at game events. Police bought six Segways last semester at $5,000 a pop, creating a fleet of modern two-wheeled people semester at $5,000 a pop, creating a fleet of modern two-wheeled people movers that added increased visibility and accessibility for students and officers on patrol.

The new initiative was going well, Brandt said, but officers were experiencing some malfunctions. “We’ve had one shut off. We don’t know why,” Brandt said. “It apparently shut off without warning.”

While they weren’t thrown off the Segways, some officers also received minor injuries. When Officer Kenneth Leonard was riding a Segway, Brandt said, the vehicle mysteriously shut down and threw Leonard to the ground. Leonard was luckier than the riders that prompted the recall and escaped with just a scraped elbow.

Segways themselves are also getting injured. A student auxiliary riders rammed his Segway into another Segway, driven by another student auxiliary rider. There was no evidence of a malfunction, but the incident left a pair of mangled handlebars in its wake.

Brandt said a Segway representative would repair the handlebars and replace the software in university-owned Segways later this week.

Until the Segway-related injuries and accident, officers and students had been using the Segways to escort students late at night, and more students had begun using the escort service because the Segways cut down the amount of time it took for the student police aide to meet them, Brandt said.

The suspended use of the Segways would not affect police work, Brandt said.

“We just revert to the way we used to do it, which is cars, bikes and feet,” Brandt said. “We’ll always find a way to do what we have to do.”

Officers and students liked using the Segways, prior to their unpredictable behavior, for monitoring crowded events such as football games. Officers also said the machines make them more accessible to the community because they are outside of the police cruiser, Brandt said. Until the recall, many people would talk to officers out of curiosity about the transporters, then end up telling the officers about issues in the community.

Prince George’s County Police officers do not use transporters in the city, but College Park officials recently considered buying some for their contract officer program, which employs off-duty county officers to patrol the city. Public Services Director Bob Ryan said the city bought 10 bikes for police use rather than spending the money on Segways.

“I think we’ll stick with bicycles for a while,” Ryan said. “They’re older technology, but they’re more proven on a low budget.”

Contact reporter Will Skowronski at skowronskidbk@gmail.com.