Jun 27, 2008 6:16 pm US/Eastern
Protect And Con-serve: Cops Turning To Segways
High Cost Of Gas Forcing Police To Walk Beats, Bike & Turn Off Cars While Idling
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J. (CBS) ―
From drivers to businesses, it seems nearly everybody is being affected by higher gas prices.
"We've come up with different ways to save fuel on our patrol cars and administrative fleet," South Plainfield Police Chief John Ferraro said.
Law enforcement officers in New Jersey are saving fuel in many ways. There is a mandate to have officers turn off patrol car engines instead of idling. They are being asked to ride in pairs. Officers are being assigned to walk or bike the beat. They are looking for more fuel efficient cars. And battery powered Segways are being used to patrol shopping centers.
"The Segway has introduced a new facet. They are in the malls as well as our bike patrol which give us more mobility and helps us respond to criminal activity in those areas' service," Piscataway Police Capt. Richard Ivone said.
Ferraro said the drastic moves will have no impact on public safety or the police's ability to do their jobs.
"We are not going to compromise the safety of residents of officers because of these measures," Ferraro said. "It won't affect response time either."
The upside to all of these changes is that the police officers will be interacting more with the communities on a more personal level.
"It provides more personal contact with residents and merchants and enhances community relations with the community and allows us to get feedback from them," Ferraro said.
And these officers also told CBS station WCBS-TV that Segways have led to an increase in tips that are directly led to arrests.
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