Continued: Segway cops stand and deliver in Edina

Edina police have a new stealth weapon in the city's crime-fighting arsenal.

After a rash of home burglaries in one neighborhood this summer, police began more night patrols. But they found it was hard to be discreet. Parked squad cars were a giveaway that police were on watch in a neighborhood. Even bicycle patrolmen made noise.

So police began using their new Segway, a nearly silent two-wheeled device that whisks officers quietly through the streets.

"This might be a better tool for surveillance than even bikes," said Deputy Chief Jeff Long. "You can cover a lot of ground, and nobody can see it."

Segways, which are battery-driven "personal transporters" that users drive standing up, are used by more than 700 police departments and security organizations around the country. In the Twin Cities area, the Bloomington bomb squad has used Segways for four years.

The Wright County sheriff uses them to patrol bike and walking paths. Target stores just bought 150 Segways for use by security people.

Edina got its Segway in May through a donation from businessman Ed Noonan. Fifteen of the department's 51 officers have been trained to use the machine, which is designed for police use and retails for $5,875. It weighs 105 pounds, has a battery range of 24 miles, can go up to 12.5 miles per hour and can handle off-road conditions.

In an era when police departments are asking cops not to waste fuel by idling their patrol cars, the donated Segway is a sensible addition to the department, Long said.

"We're not wasting gas by using a squad car," he said. "These are very energy-efficient. ... You don't have the fatigue that you have with bike officers."

The first big outing for Edina's Segway was at the Edina Art Fair. In June it was used at Interlachen Country Club during the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament. With the golf course packed, the 25-inch wide Segway provided a nimble way to maneuver through crowds to get to medical emergencies and to meet other needs, Long said.

While there may be a slightly goofy look to people who are riding a Segway -- the line of helmeted riders taking Segway tours that run by the river in Minneapolis look like they're part of a Monty Python routine -- something about the machine and its eight-inch rider elevation off the ground seems to invite public interaction, Long said. Officers are approached all the time by people who want to ask about the machine.

Sgt. Scott Kuyper is one of the officers who uses the Segway. "It's fun," he said. "It has a motor, wheels -- what's not to like? We always get looked at anyway because we're in costume," he joked.

And it offers another advantage: Standing on the Segway, he can see farther than if he were on the ground. While riders can fall if they lean too much to one side, Kuyper said, using the foot pedals that control speed and stopping soon becomes second nature.

While the machine's 12.5-mile-per-hour maximum speed doesn't sound very fast, it's fast enough, said Kuyper, who also works as a bike officer. The average pace of a world-record marathoner would be just a little faster than that.

"Sure, people can run," Kuyper said. "But I don't have to run to keep up with them. This goes 24 miles. So it becomes a question of endurance."

Mary Jane Smetanka • 612-673-7380

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