Police Roll Out New Vehicle To Manage Crowds

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Police here will debut their newest rolling stock during the coming race week – a three-wheeled, electric scooter equipped with a siren and flashing blue lights.

And it’s not just cool, new and trendy – it’s also green.

It’s called a “T3 In Motion” and it’s the latest trend sweeping law enforcement agencies nationwide.

The T3 is marketed as a Segway competitor to law enforcement agencies for use in crowd control and security in large places such as airports, according to the product Web site.

“We’ll use it for the race and for events downtown,” said Bristol Tennessee police Lt. Terry Johnson. “It gives you a height advantage over crowds of about a foot and help patrol officers who walk long distances.”

The T3 has several advantages, Johnson said. It can reach up to 25 mph so officers can get around faster, it’s battery operated so it saves on fuel costs and because it’s electric, there are no hot engine parts to worry about – an issue with the all-terrain vehicles officers have previously used during race week.

“A lot of departments have had a lot of success with these,” Johnson said. “They use them in downtown Chicago and like them so far.”

The department’s new electric chariot will make it’s inaugural run next week at Food City’s Family Fun Night, Johnson said.

“If it works well, we could see more of them,” he said.

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