NYPD Cops On a Roll
New York City - 7/30/2003
New York Post By SHAWNDELLE AUSTIN, MURRAY WEISS and TODD VENEZIA
It's the NYPD's newest weapon against crime - just don't get caught on one yourself.
The strange-looking Segway Human Transport - which retails for nearly $5,000 - is now being used by
the Finest as part of a 60-day trial to determine "if they are feasible on a big-city force," a
department spokesperson said.
Late last week, the NYPD began deploying 10 Segways in the trial - which is costing the department
nothing - by dispatching the cross between a pogo stick and an SUV to areas of heavy pedestrian
traffic in Midtown and boardwalk areas such as Coney Island.
An officer aboard one of the two-wheeled scooters was spotted near Rockefeller Center yesterday.
"It's used to enhance interaction with the public and visibility," said the Segway's operator,
Officer Chintua Alozie of Manhattan Traffic Task Force. "It's easy to use. I trained only one day."
One group of miscreants the NYPD could possibly be ticketing are any other Segway users.
The state Department of Transportation said yesterday Segways are not approved for use on roads in
the state - and that riders could be issued summons.
"They can't be registered in New York state," said DOT spokesman Joe Picchi, "because they can't
meet state safety regulations."
In fact, the Segway's sales have been slowed because many jurisdictions around the country have not
approved its use. When inventor Dean Kamen unveiled the Segway in 2001, he hoped the battery-powered
contraption would replace cars.
That has not yet happened, although a handful of government agencies have been trying out the
Segway, including the Atlanta police and U.S. Postal Service.
The self-balancing scooter maneuvers by responding to the rider's body motion rather than an
accelerator.
With a top speed of only 12 mph, the Segway won't be outracing cops on bicycles or motorcycles - and
with just 2 horsepower, they are only slightly more powerful than a cop on an actual horse.
"You park it and go after the criminal," Alozie admitted. "It has a bicycle lock if necessary."
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Ken (NY) Chairman, Department Of Redundancy Department
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