By Ed Asher, The Albuquerque Tribune
Pickpockets, beware.
In the future, the police officer in pursuit might not be on foot but mounted on a two-wheeled motorized scooter going 15 mph.
Mayor Martin Chavez said today he is closely following pilot projects in cities such as Seattle that are testing the new Segway Human Transporter for police use.
The Segway, unveiled in December 2001, is a self-balancing, one-person, battery-powered scooter costing $4,500. With the use of gyroscopes, it goes whichever direction the rider pushes a handlebar.
The scooters can travel up to 15 mph. Some police departments are testing them as possible replacements for bicycle and foot patrols.
Chavez said this morning they might be ideal for patrols in Downtown.
“I certainly have my eye on them. But there is no program” at this time to buy any, Chavez said. “We want to see how they work in other cities. They really are fascinating machines.”
Chavez this morning demonstrated a Segway at the Career Enrichment Center, a technology magnet school for Albuquerque Public Schools.
The demonstration was part of a fund-raiser held by a private citizen who wants to raise money to send a team of Albuquerque high school students to a national robotics competition in April.
Jamieson Deuel said he is attempting to raise $45,000 to send a team of 30 students from public and private high schools to the competition, which was created by Segway inventor Dean Kamen.
Deuel said he hopes to secure corporate sponsors to raise the money. He is also selling $5 tickets for a chance to win a free Segway, which he said will be awarded in January.
The robotics team won’t be sponsored by the city or Albuquerque Public Schools, Deuel said.