luckie
06-22-2006, 01:49 PM
Police patrol Harper with high-tech help
BY MARIO BARTOLETTI | STAFF WRITER
mbartoletti@pioneerlocal.com
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/eg/06-22-06-958389.html
Harper College police officers are making a smooth transition into using their new Segways. Often called Segway scooters, the proper name is Segway HT or "Human Transporter." The transporters take up only slightly more room than a human and are designed to be used on sidewalks and pedestrian walkways, ideal for Harper's main campus in Palatine. "Our officers do a lot of work within buildings as opposed to on streets and roadways," said Paul LeBreck, Harper's deputy police chief. "(Harper Police Chief) Mike Alsip brought the program here. I think he saw that (Segways) would work with the type of policing done here on the campus."
Easy inside buildings
The Harper College Police Department bought the battery-operated rolling platform with money earmarked to replace a decommissioned squad car. "It wasn't practical to put the money into another squad car," LeBreck said. "So the money was put into Segways, which give our officers the ability to patrol within buildings more." The Segways move at about 12 miles per hour. While Harper police have bicycles, they are not as conducive to being used in buildings as the Segways, LeBreck said. "It has a lot to do with public relations," said officer Kris Larson. "It's a better tool to enhance our service to the people on campus."
Mobile and approachable
Larson said the Segways make officers more approachable. "People always want to ask questions about them," he said. "It makes you more visible and more mobile. On the Harper campus, there are no through roads. I can either go across campus on foot, or drive around (the perimeter) in a car. On a Segway I can get there much faster." In addition to being seen, officers can also see further on a Segway, LeBreck said. "The platform is raised off the ground so you can see over a crowd when you're trying to monitor a concert or other activity," he said. "And they're environmentally friendly because they don't use gas. You just plug them into the wall."
The Segways cost about $6,000 and have saddlebags for equipment, red and blue lights and a siren. "We purchased a second one a few weeks ago with bigger tires for off-pavement work," LeBreck said. "In the summer, we have a variety of different activities going on and there are thousands of kids here." The Segways can also be used in the winter; officers wipe salt and snow off the treads before entering a building, said LeBreck. "It takes some time to get familiar with, but it's a pretty intuitive device," he said. Larson said just about anything you can do on foot you can do on a Segway. "You can go up stairs, you can stand on it and open a door," he said. "You just can't forget to duck."
The Harper College District includes all or part of the following communities: Arlington Heights, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Buffalo Grove, Carpentersville, Deer Park, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Fox River Grove, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Lake Barrington, Mount Prospect, North Barrington, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Schaumburg, South Barrington, Tower Lakes and Wheeling. Harper also has students from many other communities in the Chicago area.
BY MARIO BARTOLETTI | STAFF WRITER
mbartoletti@pioneerlocal.com
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/eg/06-22-06-958389.html
Harper College police officers are making a smooth transition into using their new Segways. Often called Segway scooters, the proper name is Segway HT or "Human Transporter." The transporters take up only slightly more room than a human and are designed to be used on sidewalks and pedestrian walkways, ideal for Harper's main campus in Palatine. "Our officers do a lot of work within buildings as opposed to on streets and roadways," said Paul LeBreck, Harper's deputy police chief. "(Harper Police Chief) Mike Alsip brought the program here. I think he saw that (Segways) would work with the type of policing done here on the campus."
Easy inside buildings
The Harper College Police Department bought the battery-operated rolling platform with money earmarked to replace a decommissioned squad car. "It wasn't practical to put the money into another squad car," LeBreck said. "So the money was put into Segways, which give our officers the ability to patrol within buildings more." The Segways move at about 12 miles per hour. While Harper police have bicycles, they are not as conducive to being used in buildings as the Segways, LeBreck said. "It has a lot to do with public relations," said officer Kris Larson. "It's a better tool to enhance our service to the people on campus."
Mobile and approachable
Larson said the Segways make officers more approachable. "People always want to ask questions about them," he said. "It makes you more visible and more mobile. On the Harper campus, there are no through roads. I can either go across campus on foot, or drive around (the perimeter) in a car. On a Segway I can get there much faster." In addition to being seen, officers can also see further on a Segway, LeBreck said. "The platform is raised off the ground so you can see over a crowd when you're trying to monitor a concert or other activity," he said. "And they're environmentally friendly because they don't use gas. You just plug them into the wall."
The Segways cost about $6,000 and have saddlebags for equipment, red and blue lights and a siren. "We purchased a second one a few weeks ago with bigger tires for off-pavement work," LeBreck said. "In the summer, we have a variety of different activities going on and there are thousands of kids here." The Segways can also be used in the winter; officers wipe salt and snow off the treads before entering a building, said LeBreck. "It takes some time to get familiar with, but it's a pretty intuitive device," he said. Larson said just about anything you can do on foot you can do on a Segway. "You can go up stairs, you can stand on it and open a door," he said. "You just can't forget to duck."
The Harper College District includes all or part of the following communities: Arlington Heights, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Buffalo Grove, Carpentersville, Deer Park, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Fox River Grove, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Lake Barrington, Mount Prospect, North Barrington, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Schaumburg, South Barrington, Tower Lakes and Wheeling. Harper also has students from many other communities in the Chicago area.