Tarpon Police To Patrol Downtown In Chariot-Like Scooter

Tag : Specialized Vehicle

By Mark Schantz | The Suncoast News
Published: October 31, 2008
Updated:
TARPON SPRINGS - In a city famed for its Hellenic heritage, itshould be no surprise to see police gliding by on a platform thatlooks like a chariot.
Police recently received funding for a second battery powered T3Motion personal mobility vehicle, a 3-wheel platform on whichofficers stand as if riding a motorized skateboard.
The vehicle from Costa Mesa-based T3 Motion Inc., when decked outin police decals and specialized lights, projects an image ofauthority and omnipresence, information from the manufacturerstates.
Acting Police Chief Robert Kochen said the city's first T3 lawenforcement model, which looks a bit like a chariot, minus thehorses, has already been successfully used on the campus of TarponSprings High School.
The department's second T3 Motion, which costs $10,000, will beused for community policing. It will let officers be highly visibleat the Sponge Docks, along the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail andelsewhere downtown.
An officer on a T3 can quietly glide along unnoticed until he isright on the scene, Kochen said. The devices can maneuver intonarrow areas easily, making it successful in specialized directedpatrols and community policing activities, he added.
Despite the recent drop in gasoline prices, the Police Departmentcontinues to search for low-cost transportation alternatives,Kochen said. This electric vehicle can be operated for less than 10cents a day, he said.
Tarpon police also patrol on bicycles, but the mobility vehicle cantravel up to 20 mph, making it very useful in responding toemergencies or during special events such as parades and Epiphanycelebration.
The moving platform can carry up to 450 pounds.
Funding for the vehicle will come from the Police Departmentforfeiture fund.
Mark Schantz can be reached at 727-815-1075 ormschantz@suncoastnews.com.