DANVERS — Liberty Tree Mall's security director, David Peoples, gains 8 inches in height when he steps on a Segway Personal Transporter.
While the self-propelled device lets him roll around the mall more quickly than on foot, the height advantage is an important security tool in deterring crime, he says.
"A person of my height, it gives me better visibility over the crowd so I can see what's going on further in the distance," said Peoples, who works for AlliedBarton Security Services.
Peoples, who is trained to teach other security guards how to ride Segways, said the device makes him more approachable.
"We get a lot of interaction with the people in the mall. ... They all want to know more about it. Half of them are asking for rides, but we can't do that."
The shops also like that they can spot him much easier on a Segway, said Peoples, who thinks shoppers have readily accepted them.
"I expected we would take a lot of beating for it," Peoples said, "but no, it was just the opposite."
In the last several months, customers at both the Liberty Tree and Northshore malls have grown accustomed to the sight of security officers roaming the cavernous malls and expansive parking lots atop the futuristic two-wheeled devices.
Simon Property Group Inc., which owns and operates the malls, has rolled out a fleet of 225 of them at more than 125 malls in the United States, including all 17 of its malls in New England.
"It increases the visibility of our security staff for both their needs as well as customers' ability to see them more quickly," said Ronda Ivy McLeod, regional director of marketing for Simon.
Peoples, who has worked for the mall for 21/2 years, said he's been riding one at Liberty Tree Mall for the past six months.
The scooter gets him from one end of the mall to the other twice as fast as walking. While the Segway has a top speed of about 12 mph, Peoples normally goes 3 mph to avoid running into shoppers. The Segways also come with saddle bags in which the guards carry first-aid kits and an automated external defibrillator.
"I think it's great," said Linda Symmes, 61, of Beverly, who walks the mall every morning and said she was quite surprised when she first saw them. "It makes it easier for him to get around."
"I have no problem with them," said Morris Donegan of North Reading, though the machine doesn't make him feel any more or less safe. "No one's going to bother me. They don't want to bother a poor old man; they just leave me alone."
The Segways were the brainchild of New Hampshire inventor Dean Kamen, and they caused quite a stir when they were unveiled in 2001. Since they went on sale in 2002, they have yet to become a common sight on the roads and sidewalks of the North Shore.
But they have gained ground elsewhere.
According to the Bedford, N.H.-based Segway company's Web site, there's an increasing demand for Segways by security and police organizations, with more than 600 using the scooters in places such as shopping malls.
In February, Segway announced Target had purchased a fleet of Segways for 150 of its stores and parking lots in the United States.
Meanwhile, Simon's fleet of 225 Segways is one of the largest such fleets deployed in the shopping center industry, the company says. The mall operator first tried them at a mall in Texas in 2004 before rolling them out across its entire portfolio in 2006.
Peoples enjoys an added bonus riding a Segway on his beat.
"It's kind of like a 'new toy'-type thing, so yeah, I like toys," Peoples said.
Ethan Forman may be contacted at eforman@gloucestertimes.com.
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Why Simon says Segway for security
r Segway personal transporters are 25 inches wide and can maneuver in tight spots and crowds.
r The 8-inch height boost allows officers to see over crowds, parked cars and into stores.
r Officers can patrol large malls more efficiently.
r Segways can go 24 miles a day on one charge, and it costs just 25 cents a day to charge.
r Cargo bags can carry first-aid kits and defibrillators.
