WREG TV in Memphis did a piece on scooters and crime fighters. If Bruce Wayne’s leathery bat-behind is good enough for a scooter then they GOTS to be good, right? Here’s the cursory snippet. I like how they start by clearing things up… THEY ARE NOT TOYS, DAMMIT!
Memphis – They are not toys. These low riding two wheel scooters are how Memphis police are fighting crime. Reserve officers are learning the tilts and turns to get ready to hit the streets. For the last two months, the Honda Metropolitan Scooters have been used in downtown Memphis, but starting the day after Thanksgiving, they will roll to local shopping malls.“We will be able to take them out to the malls, patrol the parking lots of the mall, patrol the shopping centers the outside in heavy congested areas.” says Barbara Davis, the Reserve Coordinator for Memphis Police.
Holiday shopping means criminals will be busy. “The security guard is passing now, but he is not always around. He tries to be, but he is not always there.” says Mary Jane Landry, a shopper from Bartlett. In fact, we parked our vehicle, got out, interviewed several shoppers, and took pictures for 15 minutes before a security truck ever spotted us. Fifteen minutes, more than enough time for criminals to do their work. It’s why police say they will beef up mall patrols and these scooters will help.
“Get to where we need to get faster and cover more territory at the same time. The visibility factor is what this is for and I think we will see this during the holidays and being out in force.” says Danny O’Connor, a reserve officer going through training.
The scooters, because they are so small will also allow officers to move quickly in and out of traffic.
I’d go ahead and click on it so you can check out the video, if you like exciting things like… people training on Honda Metropolitans. It’s a far cry from CHIPS back in the days.
15. November 2006 at 8:41 pm
Scoots make so much sense for local PD types, though I’m not certain the Metro would pull much respect from the populace. ‘Round here, every PD has a couple of H-D police bikes and for many of the towns they are just silly. One local town that is a major shopping and dining thoroghfare, and nothing else, has 2 or 3 officers on hawgs struggling through every traffic jam and stop light. Twist & go scooters would be so much more practical and economical and dispel the obvious poseur factor for most of these towns.