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WestShore Plaza Guards Have New Way To Spot Crooks

Tribune [photo by MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER

The stand-up scooters now in use by WestShore Plaza security guards are also catching on with police departments, including those in Dade City and Tarpon Springs.

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By MICHAEL SASSO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 19, 2008

TAMPA - If you're up to no good at WestShore Plaza, beware: Mall security guards may chase you down in their new stand-up scooters.

WestShore Plaza recently purchased two T3 Motion scooters at $10,000 apiece and has trained a few guards in their use.

T3s look a bit like the better-known Segway Personal Transporters because riders stand while riding them, but they use different technology. T3s also have three wheels, while Segways have two.

The new T3s are cheaper to buy and operate than the guards' previous vehicles, Ford Explorers, and much more nimble.

They also make security guards more approachable. Lately, scores of people have been approaching them to ask about the new transporters, said WestShore Plaza General Manager Jay Botsch.

The devices operate on battery power. They turn in place and can move at up to 25 mph. They also give guards a better view of mall parking lots because they stand on a platform eight inches above ground, Botsch said.

Some law enforcement agencies have also begun using the scooters, including the Dade City and Tarpon Springs police departments, as well as departments in Hollywood, Delray Beach and Okaloosa County in the Florida Panhandle.

Reporter Michael Sasso can be reached at (813) 259-7865.

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