The New York Police Department has discovered the advantages of sustainable and flexible mobility.The good old cops and robbers game isn’t what it used to be. Formerly it might have been enough for the police to be faster and cleverer than the bad guys. But thanks to overall technical improvements, the Cops have been forced to upgrade their equipment. The New York Police Department has adopted a real pioneering invention to be more maneuverable: The Segway!The Segway is an electric transportation device that balances on just two wheels, thanks to its sensors, its computerized brain, and its array of five gyroscopes. Riders stand on a platform over the Segway's two wheels and steer by leaning. Sounds complicated, and in fact, the Segway used to have some significant technical problems: The NYPD has tested the scooters before, launching a pilot program in 2003. The program was soon abandoned during a nationwide recall after it had been discovered that Segways would tip when battery power ran low. There was a second recall after at least six riders experienced that their Segways switched into reverse gear without warning. A software update solved the problem.An NYPD officer on a SegwayRight now, the NYPD Segways work without any huge difficulties. The specially trained Cops cruise Coney Island, Prospect Park, Orchard Beach, the Bronx Zoo, Yankee Stadium, Flushing Meadow Park, Shea Stadium, Arthur Ashe Stadium and Central Park with their 2-wheel cruisers. “They’re especially well suited for pathways and boardwalks”, says John Kelly of the NYPD. “It also makes sense to deploy Segways in the milder and warm weather when there is a greater use of the parks and beaches.” Besides the mobility, another obvious advantage of the Segway is the better view: “Officers riding Segways are elevated eight inches from the ground – giving them nearly a foot higher vantage point. They can see over crowds and traffic more easily.”Another plus of the Segway mobility is certainly their eco-friendliness: A Segway does draw electric power during recharge, but that electricity causes fourteen times less greenhouse gas emissions compared to a car. After one year on your Segway you would have literally saved one ton of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere. On the other hand, authorities said that the Segways didn't meet safety standards and couldn't legally be registered in New York State. So in their view, it was illegal to use Segways on the streets or on the sidewalks. For this reason, a man on his Segway was stopped by the police in midtown some time ago. His ticket cost him over $95. This measurement was actually illegitimate because the law does not specifically mention Segways. However, there is no case reported that an officer on a Segway was arrested by his own colleague from the police department!Watch our Segway video at the IAA 2007 in Frankfurt, Germany!