The Santa Barbara Police Department is testing out some patrol vehicles which won’t set any speed records, and might even lead to a laugh or two, but will allow them to cover a lot more ground.
The Department is doing a seven week test program with Segways, the two wheeled vehicles which look like a podium on wheels. They’re testing two models, one for city streets, and one which can go off road. The vehicles have a top speed of just over 12 miles and hour, and a range of 17 miles.
The department is testing them in downtown Santa Barbara, on Milpas Street, and in the waterfront area. A number of law enforcement agencies in other areas use the vehicles on a regular basis.
