There will be an increased presence and a new look for the Northeastern University Police Department as the fall semester approaches. With six new officers on board and plans to hire four more, the department will focus on visibility, Associate Director of Public Safety James Ferrier said.

The new hires include five armed police officers and one community service officer, Ferrier said. In addition, two former community service officers, Michael DiFava and Peter Stanley, were promoted to police officers after completing their academy program in the spring.

Ferrier said some of the new officers would replace slots left open by resignations and transfers but would bring the force to 56 police officers and about 18 community service officers. The increase, he said, will be part of the university’s expansion in building residence halls and providing increased hours in various areas around campus.

“We have made proposals over the years for increased funding,” Ferrier said. “This year, the university saw fit to allocate [money to] us for additional officers.”

In addition, he said several community initiatives are already underway for the fall, including providing increased presence between Gainsborough Street and Massachusetts Avenue and fostering better relationships between officers, students and staff.

“All those things require more public safety services,” Ferrier said.

New uniforms will help to differentiate between the level of officers as well, he said. While armed police officers, those who have completed training at the academy, will still be wearing navy blue, community service officers will leave their brown uniforms behind for navy blue pants and gray shirts. Co-op students or part-time cadets will still wear brown.

NUPD is also considering changes in transportation. Officers are trying out a Segway, a motorized scooter, loaned to the department for a month. Ferrier said he is not sure whether the department will purchase one at the end of the trial period, but they are still evaluating.

But Ferrier said whether in cruisers, on bicycles, on foot or on a Segway, “our emphasis is on patrol visibility, on the city streets and campus in the heart of the neighborhood to deter the bad guys.”

“That’s our overriding mission,” Ferrier said. “We subscribe to the theory that you protect people with people and property with technology supplemented by people.”