Halt! You're under arrest!
Grants Police wheel to the rescue on Segways

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

Grants Police Sgt. John Castaneda demonstrates the department's newest tool, a Segway scooter, Wednesday afternoon at the department's office in Grants. The motorized scooter cost the department $5,400 and the department is looking to acquire a second unit by July to allow a pair of officers to patrol together. [Photo by Jeffery Jones/Independent]

GRANTS — Grants Police are now cruising around neighborhoods and will be patrolling special events such as the upcoming Fiesta de Colores and the Quadrathlon with a two-wheeled, one-person Segway, vehicle.

The vehicle is a people mover, said Grants Police Chief Marty Vigil, and cost the department $5,400 from money secured by the state legislature this past year.

The machine looks like a pogo stick with wheels; however, it doesn't bounce. Rather, it glides smoothly on its large wheels.

Vigil said he plans to purchase another one at the end of his department's fiscal year, by no later than June 30,2007, so that police can patrol in pairs.

The Segway has a fast mode and a turtle mode, he said.

It has a top speed of 12 miles per hour and a slower speed of 6 mph. It turns on a dime and Vigil said officers will use it in foot pursuits to overtake suspects.

If the officer has to get off the Segway quickly and chase someone on foot or to respond to another call, it takes about a second to stop, lock and step off, Vigil said.

Officers place their feet on steps about 10 inches from the ground.

The unit's rechargeable battery, which allows the Segway to travel up to 12 miles on a single charge, is housed below the steps on the underside of the carriage. There is about a four-inch clearance for driving over ground.

"It will be used off road as well as on the roads and sidewalks," Vigil said.

"I really like it because the officers can patrol a neighborhood slowly, and if they see someone outside they can stop and talk to them," Vigil said.

"It's community policing — the officers can ask if there are any problems in the neighborhood they can assist with it — gets us closer to the people."

The Segway will not replace the bicycle patrols used by police in spring, summer and fall, but will complement those patrols, he said.

The police package is just one available from the company. Information is available at www.segway.com.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin, call (505) 287-2197 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.