Atlanta Police have just announced plans to try the Segway, that space-age scooter invented by Dean Kamen and unveiled last December on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” In doing so, Atlanta cops follow in the footsteps (or is that tire tracks?) of officers in Boston and Manchester, N.H., Kamen’s hometown.
Wondering what Chicago’s Finest thought of this, we contacted police spokesman Pat Camden to roll out, if you will, a few Segway questions.
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Q. Any chance Chicago Police will acquire a few Segways?
A. We are not looking at the Segway in any way, shape or form. At $8,000 a pop, it’s pretty steep — more money than we’re interested in.
Q. Suppose it was cheaper. What then?
A. I don’t want to get into putting this system down, but what do you gain from it? I don’t know. If a guy’s walking his beat, part of his obligation is going in and out of businesses, on foot.
Q. What do you make of Atlanta Police deciding to use it, then? Is it a waste?
A. I don’t want to second guess them. They may have found it could be beneficial to their activity. I don’t know. But on its face, [the benefit] doesn’t appear to exist. I’m still asking the same question: “How does this become beneficial for a cop to use this?”I don’t see it.
Q. Now the doughnut question: Not to sound flip, but some beat officers are not exactly trim. Wouldn’t a Segway help them move faster?
A. That’s conceivable — but that’s not going to help them to get back into weight either. (Laughs) I don’t want to go there. It’s not going to help the problem.