Sandy Springs Police add electric motorcycles for crime prevention

Police in Sandy Springs now has a new tool to help them fight crime.

This week, for the first time, the department sent officers out on patrol on two new electric motorcycles.

"They're dual-sport, so they can go off-road," explained Sandy Springs Police Sgt. Sam Worsham.  "They can travel on the street as well.  They're fully marked up as a police vehicle.  They have lights."

The Zero motorcycles cost about $21,000 apiece, but do not need maintenance like oil changes and do not require gasoline.

"They're very efficient.  We would just plug them into a regular outlet.  They charge up in a few hours," said Sgt. Worsham.

They are also extremely quiet, which can help officers go undetected by criminals and also help them be more observant of their surroundings.  

"There's no sound at all.  So, it is pretty stealthy.  You can go through a parking deck, you can go through a parking lot and won't be heard," Sgt. Worsham explained.  "You're not surrounded by windows and glass and sheet metal, like in a vehicle.  So, the officer has an opportunity to hear things--ambient noises around them, suspicious sounds, a car alarm going off--without having to overcome the sound of an engine underneath them."

The police department plans to use the bikes primarily as a crime prevention tool at large events, in city parks and on walking trails.