The Associated Press
CELEBRATION, Fla. (AP) -- The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday borrowed two Segways for a six-month test to determine whether the standup scooters can be used to police parades and some towns.
The Segways are being loaned by Relay Transportation, a Celebration-based dealer. The single-rider, two-wheeled Segway Human Transporters can travel up to 12 mph. They use gyroscopes to keep upright, making them less likely to fall or be knocked over.
“Obviously, they’ll be able to get through a crowd much better than a car,” Sheriff Charlie Aycock said. “If it’s helping us do our job, and the people like it, and it’s making us more accessible, then absolutely we’ll continue it.”
Deputies intend to test the Segways on details in Celebration and at special events such as parades and fairs, and perhaps in Old Town, a collection of shops, restaurants and rides on the west U.S. Highway 192 tourist strip, the sheriff said.
The Segways proved popular at a public demonstration Wednesday.
“As soon as you get on a Segway, everyone wants to talk to you,” Deputy Danny DiLoreto said.
Elsewhere in Florida, police departments in Delray Beach, Ocala and Aventura use Segways, said Carla Vallone, a spokeswoman for the New Hampshire-based company that produces Segways.