Public-safety forces will patrol Super Bowl on self-balancing vehicles
Super Box XLII, slated for Feb. 3 in Glendale, Ariz., will be the first Super Bowl where all divisions of Arizona’s public-safety forces will ride Personal Transporters (PTs) to enhance security patrols.
Made by Segway Inc., based in Bedford, N.H., the vehicles will be used to patrol walkways, parking lots and exhibition areas around the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. In addition, the Glendale Police Department will ride the vehicles to patrol NFL-sponsored events throughout the city during the days leading up to Super Bowl Sunday.
Paramedics also will transport a full range of life-support equipment on the vehicles to quickly address medical emergencies during the game.
More than 72,000 people are expected to attend the Super Bowl, and thousands more are expected to take part in pre-game festivities in the Glendale area. Overall, more than 140 million people in the U.S. are expected to watch the game live on television.
“The Segway PT is a safe and productive way for us to enhance our security presence at large-scale events such as the Super Bowl,” said Jim Toomey, public information officer for the Glendale Police Department. “Moreover, this stadium is one of the most technologically advanced venues in the world, and the simplicity and efficiency of the Segway PT is a perfect fit for this environment.”
Operating specifics
Ideal for indoor or outdoor use, the Segway PTs use no gasoline, emit no emissions, and run quietly. Each vehicle offers self-balancing operation, by which riders can control their movement and speed by the way they lean their bodies. For instance, the rider leans forward to go forward, or leans back to travel in reverse. Top traveling speed is 12.5 mph.
The stand-on vehicles provide rider with 8 inches of added height, enabling a top vantage point for security patrols. The PT’s ability to stand still, turn in place or travel with pedestrian flow enables police officers to move through crowds more easily than they could in a patrol car, on while traveling on a bike or motorcycle.
Fleet choices
The Glendale Police Department will use Segway i2 and x2 police models to patrol the Super Bowl. The i2 model has a range of up to 24 miles, or 480 city blocks, and is ideally suited for urban and suburban transportation. The x2 model has a wider wheel track and is equipped with all-terrain tires that ease travel across rougher surfaces such as dirt, gravel or sand. Even on challenging terrain, the vehicle’s lithium-ion batteries deliver a range of up to 12 miles on a single charge.
Police and security officers reportedly find the PTs extremely useful for patrolling large events. In addition, the Glendale Fire Department owns eight PTs, which paramedics use to provide emergency medical services. Global Spectrum, the private-sector firm responsible for security at the Glendale stadium, has two PTs that are used during football games and other stadium events.
“Worldwide, more than 600 police and security agencies currently use Segway PTs to patrol urban business districts, parks, university campuses, transit stations, airports, stadiums and medical centers,” said Chip MacDonald, director of police and security sales at Segway Inc. “We are extremely proud to have Segway police models playing an important role in the security, safety and environmental profile of Super Bowl XLII.”
Segway markets a full line of PTs that are said to be 11 times more energy efficient than the average American car. For more information about the vehicles, visit the company’s Web site: http://www.segway.com/.