Segway Inc. announced that the Miami-Dade Police Department will be using Segway Personal Transporters (PTs) to provide security services at Super Bowl XLI on Feb. 4 and throughout the week preceding the event.
The department will use three Segway i2 and three x2 models to patrol the walkways, parking lots, and exhibition areas around Dolphin Stadium. In addition, the City of Miami Police Department recently purchased six Segway PTs that it will use to patrol NFL-sponsored events throughout the city.
Patrol officers find Segway PTs extremely useful for an event of this nature because they stand eight inches taller on these units, enabling them to have ideal sight lines over people and automobiles. Also, because the Segway PTs are self-balancing and can turn in place, officers can move through crowds much more easily than they could in a patrol car, or on a bike or motorcycle. Segway PTs also enable the patrol officers to respond quickly to emergencies wherever they occur.
More than 70,000 people are expected to attend the Super Bowl at Dolphin Stadium and thousands more will visit Miami to take part in pre-game festivities. In addition, more than 140 million people in the U.S. are expected to watch the game live on television. Because of the high-profile nature of the Super Bowl, police and security agencies in the host cities typically employ the latest technology to ensure the security and safety of those attending the event. Moreover, because of the demands that these large-scale events place on personnel, police agencies need specialized equipment and tools to make each of their officers more productive and efficient.
Segway PTs are already in use by police agencies in and around Dade County, including the police departments at Miami University, West Palm Beach, and Miami Beach.
“More than 175 police agencies around the world use Segway PTs every day to patrol downtown business districts, college campuses, parks, airports and transit stations,” said Klee Kleber, vice president of marketing at Segway Inc. “In each case these specialized police units have greatly enhanced the efficiency and productivity of the patrol officers. We are extremely proud to have our most advanced Segway PTs playing an important role in the security of Super Bowl XLI.”
The Segway PT is a self-balancing, zero-emission transportation device that can travel up to 12.5 m.p.h. Sophisticated technology allows riders to control their movement and speed by the way they lean their bodies. Lean forward to go forward, lean back to go back. New LeanSteer™ technology controls turning as the rider naturally leans in the direction he wants to travel.
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 enable it to travel across rougher surfaces of dirt, gravel or sand. Even on such terrain, its lithium-ion batteries deliver a range of up to 12 miles on a single charge.
For more information visit www.segway.com.
