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Security by Segway: Arden Fair's mall patrolled by two-wheeled scooters
By Bob Shallit - bshallit@sacbee.com
Published 2:46 pm PST Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Security officer Dan Heaton rides a Segway while on patrol at Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento on Monday. The mall is introducing the two-wheeled scooters to its security operations. Guards will be able to scoot in and out of traffic while patrolling the parking areas. Randall Benton / rbenton@sacbee.com
The latest security vehicle at Arden Fair Mall is turning heads.
The mall's security team is now tooling around - indoors and out - on Segways, those odd-looking two-wheeled scooters.
"It's a real rush," says mall security chief Steve Reed, who was trained last weekend on one of the mall's two new "personal transporters," along with eight of his staffers.
"I was a little scared," he says of learning to stop, turn and stay balanced. Now, he says, "I'm actually thinking of buying one for myself."
Arden Fair is hardly the first to use Segways for security purposes. At least one local retailer - Target in Natomas - also has a Segway on patrol.
Worldwide, they're used by more than 600 police and security agencies - a tripling of users in 2007 alone, according to a company spokesman.
What makes them so popular for security duties? They're highly visible in parking lots, serving as a deterrent to car thieves. They enable officers to maneuver quickly through crowds. And they elevate the rider about 8 inches off the ground, improving sight lines.
For Reed and his crew, there's another plus: the $5,500 scooters generate goodwill with shoppers.
When kids spot the Segways, "they grab their parents and point," Reed reports. The officers often stop to chat with onlookers and hand out free carousel passes and stick-on Arden Fair security badges.
The scooters, Reed says, "are a great PR tool."
Reach Bob Shallit at (916) 321-1049. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/shallit.
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