Make TBO Your Home Page| Subscribe To The Paper| Advertise With Us| Contact Us| Login| Edit Profile| Register
Suncoast Pinellas News
Email
Print
Tarpon Police To Patrol Downtown In Chariot-Like Scooter
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: October 31, 2008
Updated:
TARPON SPRINGS - In a city famed for its Hellenic heritage, it should be no surprise to see police gliding by on a platform that looks like a chariot.
Police recently received funding for a second battery powered T3 Motion personal mobility vehicle, a 3-wheel platform on which officers stand as if riding a motorized skateboard.
The vehicle from Costa Mesa-based T3 Motion Inc., when decked out in police decals and specialized lights, projects an image of authority and omnipresence, information from the manufacturer states.
Acting Police Chief Robert Kochen said the city's first T3 law enforcement model, which looks a bit like a chariot, minus the horses, has already been successfully used on the campus of Tarpon Springs High School.
The department's second T3 Motion, which costs $10,000, will be used for community policing. It will let officers be highly visible at the Sponge Docks, along the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail and elsewhere downtown.
An officer on a T3 can quietly glide along unnoticed until he is right on the scene, Kochen said. The devices can maneuver into narrow areas easily, making it successful in specialized directed patrols and community policing activities, he added.
Despite the recent drop in gasoline prices, the Police Department continues to search for low-cost transportation alternatives, Kochen said. This electric vehicle can be operated for less than 10 cents a day, he said.
Tarpon police also patrol on bicycles, but the mobility vehicle can travel up to 20 mph, making it very useful in responding to emergencies or during special events such as parades and Epiphany celebration.
The moving platform can carry up to 450 pounds.
Funding for the vehicle will come from the Police Department forfeiture fund.
Mark Schantz can be reached at 727-815-1075 or mschantz@suncoastnews.com.
Email
Print
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online ©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. A Media General company. Member Agreement | Privacy Statement | Work With Us
