The Eagle Police Department has added a new electric-powered motor scooter to the arsenal of weapons it uses to fight crime. It joins other cities in the U.S. and around the globe in a quest to save money and be more environmentally friendly.

The department took possession Wednesday of one of two Vectrix scooters. They are on loan from High Desert Harley-Davidson in Meridian as a way of locally testing and promoting the scooters.

Eagle Mayor Phil Bandy will use the second scooter at public events to promote its environmental and cost-saving benefits, as well as new technologies, cleaner air and scooter safety. Bandy recently completed the Idaho STAR Motorcycle Safety Program, an Idaho Department of Education program accredited by the National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators.

Stacey Axmaker, director of the state's STAR safety program, said he was unaware of any other Idaho city using electric scooters, but he said larger communities with mass transit and air quality issues are likely candidates.

He's right - New York City embraced the use of electric city-owned vehicles in July when it announced it was testing four Vectrix scooters. The city sees them as a possible way to cut the city's gasoline costs, which totaled $103.7 million in fiscal 2008, a 36 percent spike over the previous year, according to a New York Post story on Vectrix's Web site.

Vectrix electric scooters also are being used by the Penn State University and Amherst College police departments, as well as the airport in Glasgow, Scotland.

Eagle Police Chief Brian Hippe said the department's scooter is equipped with flashing lights, a siren and city of Eagle decals and will be used as the department uses its bicycle patrols in the Downtown business district and in parks. For instance, instead of using a police car, an officer on a scooter could patrol an area where vandalism or thefts are a problem.

"That sounds like an ideal use of these scooters," Axmaker said. "When you compare the long-term cost of operating a car or motorcycle, you're going to be money ahead."

The scooter isn't just environmentally friendly, Hippe said.

Most criminals, he said, are on the lookout for police cruisers. An officer on a scooter has a better chance of getting closer to criminal activity before being spotted, he said.

"It (the scooter) is very quiet. That increases our chances of detecting suspicious activity," he said.

Dave Thomas of Eagle, owner of High Desert Harley-Davidson, said the scooter can go from zero to 50 mph in 6.8 seconds "because there is no combustion engine. The power is there immediately."

It has a maximum speed of 62 mph.

But they aren't cheap.

Thomas, who is the exclusive dealer in Idaho for the Vectrix scooter, said the 2007 models the city will be using sell for $8,995. Vectrix spokeswoman Kelly Prentice said the 2009 model will cost $10,495.

Because it puts out zero emissions, Thomas said using the scooter 70 percent of the time in place of a regular police cruiser over a 12-month period would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by five tons a year.

He said the cost of operating the scooter amounts to less than a penny a mile.

The scooter has a range of 55 miles on a single two-and-a-half hour charge. It also has a regenerative braking system that recharges the battery by throttling back, which extends the amount of time it can remain on the streets by up to 12 percent and preserves the life of the brake pads.

Thomas said maintenance is limited to tires, brakes and occasionally hooking the scooter up to a laptop to download the latest software updates to the on-board computer.

Eric Fieldstad, owner of A-1 Skooters, 8401 W. Fairview Ave., said he expects motorcycles and scooters will increasingly be going electric.

"I applaud the city for looking at alternative fuels," Fieldstad said. "It's long past due."

Joe Estrella: 377-6465