We attended the Los Angeles County Sheriff's vehicle testing mostly for the crop of next-gen patrol cars and motorcycles. Yet, we also noticed several electric patrol vehicles, such as G2 Patrol's pair of "glide cruisers" that would give public safety agencies a green-tech option and an less-strenuous alternative to bicycle patrol.

They're probably best suited for campus officers who cover more expansive areas and often need to slide between vehicles or into other tighter spaces. The vehicles measure 10 inches wide (with the deck).

"It bridges the gap between motorcycle patrol and the police bikes," Christopher Wiggens, president and chief executive of Glide Cruisers USA, tells POLICE Magazine. "They're very stable with a low center of gravity. You can go creeping along and narrow through because of the narrow profile."

G2 Patrol is the division of Glide Cruisers, of  Folsom, Calif., that produces the Defender PS-1 and Enforcer PS-2 powered with an electric hub motor mounted to the rear wheel.

The glide cruisers are considered electric stand-up vehicles (ESVs) in a category with T3 Motion's T3 Series ESV and Segway's Personal Transporter (PT) .

The Defender is the base cruiser with a 48-volt motor, 15Ah Lithium battery, and 25-mile range. The Enforcer adds a higher-capacity battery (20Ah Lithium), extending the range to 30 miles. Both can reach a top speed of 32 mph. The Enforcer also arrives with Code 3 lighting (and front and rear sirens).

The 48-volt brushless motors have no internal moving parts and are powered when a controller picks up signals from the thumb throttle. The battery plugs into a standard outlet and requires three to four hours to fully charge.

Officers can add a smartphone dock, wireless computer, multi-light bar, rearview mirror, Contour HD camera or Topeak trunk bag as add-ons.

Several universities in California, as well as the Palo Alto (Calif.) Police Department are now considering the vehicle for patrol use.

California higher-learning institutions considering the vehicle include Stanford University, University of the Pacific, California State University, Sacramento, and UC Davis, Wiggens said.

The Defender retails for $3,950, while the Enforcer retails for $4,995.