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May 6, 2007
Scooter squad -- bomb experts get Segway transporters
Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims on Thursday rolled out the latest addition to her department's fleet -- one of two newly purchased Segway Personal Transporters.
"After being elected sheriff, you'd think they would give me something with four wheels," Mims quipped as she glided up to a waiting line of reporters and photographers in front of the sheriff's headquarters in downtown Fresno.
The department has joined more than 150 police agencies around the world equipped with Segways -- self-balancing, battery-operated scooters invented by Dean Kamen and introduced to the public in 2001.
Mims -- who appeared relaxed as she moved the scooter this way and that and rode circles around the media -- said it only took her a few minutes to learn how to control the Segway.
The scooters, priced at $5,000 each, were obtained through a grant from the Department of Homeland Security, she said.
The scooters were ordered primarily for use by the department's Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, Mims said, but they will also be made available for special events where deputies can move quickly and silently through large crowds.
The bomb experts of the explosives unit are required to change into heavy protective clothing when checking out a suspected explosive device and usually must walk a long distance from a safe area to the danger zone, Mims said.
With their heavy outfits, the officers can be exhausted by the time they reach their target, she said.
Posted by Frank at May 6, 2007 10:12 AM
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